Everlasting Bloom
by Spunky0ne
Summary: As Byakuya faces a devastating break up with Ichigo, a vicious attack appears to end his life abruptly. Years later, Ichigo senses his lost love in the low Rukongai, but is Byakuya really there or is it just a deadly lure meant to kill the Shiba heir?...yaoi, mpreg...Ichigo/Byakuya, Kurushimi/Tetsuya
1. Broken Charm

**Everlasting Bloom**

 **By Spunky0ne**

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 **Another dream-fic for enthusiastic Ichi/Bya fans to thank you for your continuous love and support. Thanks also to Shima-Taicho31 for letting me borrow her OC, Kurushimi and his family. Couldn't do it without all of you. This request was for a story similar to my Ren/Bya story,** _ **Unscattered,**_ **where Byakuya disappears and is sensed years later in the most unexpected of places. Desperate to learn if the rumors of Byakuya's presence in the low Rukongai are true, Ichigo rushes to Inuzuri, where he finds something shocking and possibly deadly. Enjoy! Love you, Spunky**

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 **Chapter 1: Broken Charm**

A long black shadow crept in through the open garden doors of Kuchiki Byakuya's bedroom and fell across the moonlit bed, the change in lighting the only warning he received before a warm body pounced onto his and a strong hand covered his mouth before he could object. The invader's head dipped for a moment, his lips smiling and laying soft kisses along the fine skin of the piqued noble's graceful throat. Byakuya loosed a soft, moaning sigh of surrender and the hand fell away from his mouth.

"Ichigo..." Byakuya whispered, his grey eyes locking on his lover's powerful golden brown orbs, "Ichigo, I told you not to come."

"I know," Ichigo answered, frowning at him, "I heard you, and I knew that's not what you want. That's not what either of us want. You tried to pretend it was the best thing, and that you were okay with it...but I know you, Byakuya. I know when you're lying to me."

"I'm not lying!" Byakuya hissed, his head tilting back despite his objection, and his white flesh blushing as Ichigo's mouth bit down voraciously on a pale shoulder, then crawled along a fine collarbone, sliding down over a sculpted breast, pausing to tease a shamelessly erect, pink nipple until sweat broke out on his lovely boyfriend's forehead and throat.

"Ichigo, stop! You must stop now!" he pleaded, closing his eyes against the rising heat in his loins, "I can't let you make love to me. If you...mmmph...if you impregnate me...!"

"I won't," Ichigo resolved, slipping a silver charm around Byakuya's slender neck, "but I have to be with you. C'mon, Byakuya, admit that you want to be with me too."

"Ah!" Byakuya gasped as Ichigo's hand sought his hungry nether region, caressing and stroking until Byakuya's objections faded and he fell onto his back, "Oh...o-oh...Ichigo... _anata_ please!"

"No way," Ichigo breathed hotly in his ear, making Byakuya's breath catch, then stealing it away again with a torrid, scathing kiss, "I'm not letting you get away from me this time. We're going to go all the way!"

He pinned the shocked noble on his back, looking up into the Shiba heir's commanding eyes and reeling under his unrelenting reiatsu.

"I cannot defy the rules of succession, Ichigo!" Byakuya argued, "I promised to follow the rules of the clan!"

"Yeah? Well, I never did," Ichigo said saucily, running his blazing tongue over Byakuya's lips and plunging deeply into his mouth, savoring it before continuing, "I wanna be with you. I'm going to be with you."

"And damned be the rules, or anything _I_ might want?" Byakuya chided him.

"I have everything you need, Byakuya," Ichigo said, holding him tightly in place and sliding his fingers down Byakuya's heavily sweating torso, "I have all that you want."

"I _told_ you what I want!" Byakuya scolded him, his back arching reflexively as his lover's fingers began a slow, purposeful preparation.

"Liar!" Ichigo accused him, "That isn't what you want. It's what you think you have to do. _This_ is what you want! If you can't be honest with me, at least admit it to yourself!"

 _But if I do...if I let you convince me to defy them, we will pay an unthinkable price!_

"Ichigo, please listen to me. I...!"

Byakuya gasped and arched his back again as Ichigo's deft fingers found the center of pleasure deep inside him and stimulated the area teasingly, making speech and even clear thought, impossible.

"Ichigo...f-for the love of kami, ICHIGO!"

The Shiba heir's hot, insistent mouth replaced his fingers, and his tongue teased Byakuya cruelly as the spellbound Kuchiki leader tried desperately to recover himself. He writhed uncontrollably under Ichigo's dominating ministrations, panting hard enough to leave him seeing stars and knowing already the inevitable conclusion.

"Ichigo!" he whispered a last time, spreading his creamy thighs and letting out a long, ragged sigh of submission.

Byakuya's impetuous lover knew better than to hesitate. He positioned himself swiftly and sank deeply into Byakuya's surrendered body, making his jaw clench and his eyes close tightly, refusing to look as he was roughly taken. Pale, slender hands clutched at Ichigo's shoulders and small sounds of mingled pain and pleasure escaped him as Ichigo paused for a few seconds to let him breathe, then began a barrage of heavy, insistent undulations.

Byakuya's objections faded and he plunged headlong into a heady exchange of seething kisses and wild thrusts. For a moment, he forgot everything but how right it felt to share that closeness with this one he loved, and how much he didn't want it to end. Ichigo smiled as he sensed Byakuya's capitulation, and he poured all of his affections into every warm caress and deep, penetrating movement. He was rewarded with the lower, more erotic sounds of Byakuya's intensifying pleasure, then a moan of bliss as he gave in to the heavy shudders of a powerful climax. And the beauty of seeing his lover that way, and feeling the truth of what was between them sent Ichigo also tumbling headlong into a violent release.

The two went still, panting softly and exchanging gentler kisses as they slowly recovered. Gradually, their riled bodies calmed, and Ichigo dropped off to sleep, still deeply engaged in his lover's body.

Byakuya remained awake after Ichigo slept, his troubled grey eyes gazing up at the ceiling, and his heart in disarray at having let himself fall victim again to Ichigo's irresistible lure.

 _How did I let myself do this?_

 _And why?_

 _I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much. Yes, I love Ichigo passionately and completely. But this simply can't be, and we both know it. As much as we wish to be together, the rules of our houses are clear. Marriages between heirs and leaders are forbidden because they blur the lines between houses. Ichigo and I will be required to wed others who are not either. There is no room for negotiation on that point. It is meant to avoid one clan simply swallowing up another, and it is punishable by imprisonment and lowering of both clans' status._

"You're feeling bad about letting me make love to you, aren't you?" Ichigo asked suddenly, making Byakuya's eyes widen and his breath catch, "You shouldn't."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya countered wearily, "You know the rules, Ichigo. I know your father explained to you. You are an heir. You can't be with another clan's heir or leader. It's that way..."

"I know," Ichigo said, stopping him, "And I don't care."

Byakuya gave him a heartbroken smile.

"And I love you even more for that," he whispered, kissing Ichigo's frowning lips, then pulling free of him, "But we are subject to the rules, whether or not we like them."

"Damn it, Byakuya, don't do that!" Ichigo fumed, "Don't lie to me like you really accept this! I know you're head over heels in love with me, and you shouldn't be pushing me away, you should be fighting for us!"

"At the expense of our families, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked softly, "Your family is rising out of banishment and mine clings to its place atop the great clans because I have made a commitment to obey the rules. If I choose to fight this one, we could be together, but we would jeopardize our hold on those places. And if another clan steals dominance in Central 46, such things as the growing tolerance for powerful mixed bloods like Tetsuya in the families and the inclusion of commoners adopted into families as Rukia was could disappear! My father and grandfather strove for years to grow that tolerance, and to fight the poor treatment of those groups."

"I hear what you're saying," Ichigo sighed, "but I think you have to take chances for some things. You have to be willing to fight for the things like this that matter the most. It seems like you want to give this up without a fight!"

"I don't want to," Byakuya explained, "but I feel I have to. Ichigo, as much as I do love you, I cannot break the rules again and marry you. We can't have children together."

"Byakuya!"

"You...are young and you have so many close friends. I am sure that you will..."

"Don't go there, Byakuya," Ichigo said warningly, "Don't say it."

Byakuya went silent, his devastated eyes locked on Ichigo and speaking louder than words.

"So, that's it then? You're breaking up with me?"

Byakuya's head bowed and he found himself unable to answer.

"Go ahead and say it. It's what you're telling me, isn't it?" Ichigo demanded, climbing out of the bed and dressing hastily.

"Ichigo, please don't be angry with me."

"How the hell am I not supposed to be angry? You're dumping me!"

"No! I told you..."

"Enough already! I'm tired of excuses. I'm tired of you using your obligations to push me away. Fine, you want me out, I'm out."

"Why does it have to be all or nothing?" Byakuya asked, keeping his eyes carefully lowered, "We've been friends for a long time now..."

"I can't just _be friends_ with you!" exclaimed Ichigo, turning his back, "You see how I am when I'm around you. And I'm tired of having you give in to me, then push me away. It kills me when you do this!"

"Do you think I'm suffering any less than you?" Byakuya argued.

"Then say dick to them and marry me! I'll give up being heir if that makes it work for you. I didn't want to be heir in the first place!"

"But that is your place. You are the most powerful heir in your clan's history, as I am the most powerful leader in mine."

"I said it's enough. I get it," Ichigo said coldly, "Fine, have it your way. I'm leaving."

"Ichigo..."

Byakuya stiffened and closed his eyes against the powerful, gripping pain that swelled in his chest as his lover's flash step sounded and Ichigo disappeared from his room. He swallowed hard, the silence sounding deafening in his ears as he felt the icy barbs of Ichigo's intense anger.

Exiting the bed, Byakuya retrieved his wrinkled yukata and wrapped it around his slender body, then he left his room and walked out into the gardens. The cold sent shivers through him, but he followed the darkened path through the growths of flowers and sakura and plum trees. He reached a secluded place, where the moon shone through the tree branches, lighting the path of the tears that escaped onto his face. He looked up into the sky, letting the moon's lovely light fill the emptiness that had opened up inside him.

 _I've been alone before._

 _I can manage._

But he didn't remember ever feeling such a weight on his heart before. He ached badly inside, even while being comforted by the beauty around him.

 _It's because Ichigo has a beauty that is crushing to lose. Why does he have to be so adamant that it's all or nothing? Why can't we go back to being friends like we were?_

"Are you all right, cousin?" asked a thin, sarcastic voice, "You look like you're about to freeze to death."

Byakuya turned on the man, who was dressed in black leather that matched his deep black eyes.

"Orochi, what are you doing here? You don't have permission to be here."

"Just passing through," his cousin said casually, "and I felt your breaking heart. Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know how you got past Tetsuya and Arashi, but I want you to leave!" Byakuya said stiffly.

"I don't think so," Orochi answered, closing in on him.

Byakuya started to raise his reiatsu warningly, only to find that something blocked his use of power.

"What is this, you bastard? What have you done?" Byakuya demanded.

"Only what needs to be done," Orochi said, raising his own reiatsu and drawing his sword, "You've stepped over the lines and gone out of bounds so many times, you can no longer be trusted to put the needs of the clan first. Some of us find that unacceptable, and I was chosen to put an end to you."

"What did you do to Tetsuya!" Byakuya shouted, reeling as his cousin's power wrapped around them, locking them in and keeping the sound of their voices from reaching the nearby guards, "Answer me!"

"I don't answer to rule breaking, peasant loving fools like you," Orochi said coldly, increasing the force of his reiatsu until it began to suffocate Byakuya.

Knowing better than to wait anymore, Byakuya launched himself forward, grabbing Orochi's weapon to hold it at bay as he threw his weight against his cousin's and grappled for control of his weapon.

"You can't win," Orochi mocked him, kicking him in the abdomen and sending him crashing to the ground.

He moved forward slowly, holding his sword ready and making a sound of disapproval.

"You really are pathetic."

"You are not going to get away with this!" Byakuya snapped.

"Of course I am," Orochi said calmly, closing in on him again and suddenly slashing at him.

Byakuya put his fingertips to his stinging cheek, and they came away with blood leaked onto them.

"You don't understand, do you?" Orochi went on, "You're an embarrassment. That's why I'll be able to get away with killing you. But...don't worry about Tetsuya. I won't kill him. I have other plans for him. Now, it is time to put an end to you. Don't worry, I'll make it fast."

He paused, frowning as he noticed the silver charm at Byakuya's throat.

"What is this?" Orochi snickered, "A broken charm? Maybe I shouldn't kill you after all. Maybe I should let the elders see how you've broken the rules, yet again. You won't have a single supporter left, and you know it!"

Byakuya stared in dismay at the broken charm, forgetting for a moment the danger in front of him. Orochi took that moment of distraction to slash at him again, then he made a sound of frustration as Byakuya somehow moved quickly enough to evade the strike, and shoved the blade aside, striking the heavy barrier.

"You are only delaying the inevitable," Orochi chided him, swinging his sword again.

But again, Byakuya evaded his strike, capturing his weapon for long enough to make it strike the barrier. This time, the barrier shattered, and Byakuya called for the house guards.

"They won't come," Orochi warned him, "Did you think I would come here alone? Face it, Byakuya, you are going to die. I am going to kill you, then give this clan the leader it needs!"

Byakuya tried again to summon his powers, but found he had only his flash step. He engaged it immediately, fleeing through the gardens and out into the forest, with Orochi following swiftly and hurling kido blasts after him.

 _What in kami's name did he do to Tetsuya and the house guards?_

A kido blast erupted near his feet, throwing him roughly to the ground. He was on his feet again instantly and flash stepping wildly, barely evading his cousin's strikes as he neared a rushing river that drained out of a nearby lake and into the Rukongai.

 _I don't think there's any other way to escape him,_ Byakuya realized.

His heart pounded furiously in his chest as he reached the edge of a cliff over the river, and another kido blast sent him plummeting over the edge. Byakuya crashed down into the rushing water, luckily missing a number of rocks as he landed, but then getting sucked into the current and carried away. He struck his head on something and spotted little trails of blood in the water around him. His vision dimmed and he tried desperately to reach the shore as his consciousness faded.

Byakuya encountered a fleeting vision of the life he wished he had with Ichigo...a home filled with ginger-haired children, years together, watching them grow...even eventually growing old together and walking in the calm gardens.

 _I wish it could have been that way for us._

 _I wish it wouldn't end like this._

Byakuya was grateful at how numbness took over his body and both the physical and emotional agony faded as everything around him darkened. He made his lips move one more time, whispering Ichigo's name into the riled water, then the darkness closed in all around him, and everything went black.


	2. Healing Hands

**Chapter 2: Healing Hands**

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 **Thanks to Picklez80 (Here you go!), PrivateCaller (You're too sweet!), Kittykins (I know. I'm so mean!) GrimmIchisgrl (Aww!), Frost2351 (Muse is working overtime on this one!), Aizenfan6969 (lol, I thought you were tough, but I turned you to butter!), Charmander (So glad you like it!), Adalie Delacroix (This one's a nice long chapter!), Hisuiryuu (I like a mix of warmth and angst with the promise of happiness.), Avella Aria (Aww, thanks so much!), Kenni-bun bun (Yeah, I try to resist, but angst grabs me, for some reason...), Doggyband (Aww, I will make sure the sweetness is worth the salty tears!), Shima-Taicho (I think some Kuchiki elders will be pissed when his deception is discovered!), Jazzybella (I hope you enjoy this longer, less cliffy chapter!) and DefendtheUndefended (Okay, here's more!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

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 **(Ten years later...)**

Wrapped tightly in his poor blanket, Kisho shivered and curled up in a ball, trying to build up a little bit of warmth, but finding it difficult to do with such a thin body. He sighed softly and reached over to grab several ragged shirts, two threadbare yukatas and several smaller things to add to the layers on top of him. To his relief, the effort paid off in creating a small pocket of comfort, and he snuggled in deeply, trying to go back to sleep.

Outside the little, rundown shack he shared with his father, rain poured down, muddying the streets and making the scores of street kids press together under the eves and stairways of several abandoned dwellings, in small caves or under thick growths of vegetation. A few sympathetic souls roamed the mostly abandoned streets, delivering hot soup and tea to the children, and offering healing to the sick and injured.

Kisho stirred again as a soft sound of discomfort reached him, and he brushed the wild black tipped ginger hairs out of his pretty grey eyes and peeked out from under his ragged coverings, into the hall and across to where his father laid in another poor bed. He saw his father shift uncomfortably, then he quivered and moaned in an unnatural, feverish fashion.

"Dad?" he called softly.

A little chill went through him as his inquiry went unanswered.

Kisho pushed aside the loose clothing, keeping the thin blanket wrapped around him and lifted himself off of the little mat that was his bed. He grabbed a second pair of tattered socks and placed them over the ones he wore, then hurried out of his room and into his father's, where he knelt beside the mat his father laid on.

"Dad?" he called more urgently, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

He inhaled sharply as his father's head turned and he could see the flushed color of his face that was bathed in sweat.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

He slipped a hand into his father's and placed his other hand over the man's softly heaving chest, where he found his father's heartbeat to be too fast and oddly light. The man shivered and his lips moved, but he only managed a soft, discomfited groan. Kisho made a sound of distress and unwrapped the blanket from around himself. He laid it gently over his father and tucked the two blankets more firmly around him. Forgetting the chill in the air, he ran out into the hallway, then to the bathroom, where he found a clean washcloth and dampened it. He filled a little cup with water and carried the washcloth and water back to his father.

"K-kisho?" the man whispered unsteadily, blinking his burning eyes as he looked up at his son.

"It's okay," Kisho said reassuringly, "I know what to do."

The man in the bed watched silently as the boy soothed his face with the wet washcloth, then offered him a few mouthfuls of water from the cup.

"I will make you some hot tea and broth after I bring a healer. Old Michio-san is probably up already. I'll be right back, okay?"

Kisho started to let go of his father's hand, but it tightened on his and his father looked up at him in warning.

"Don't go unarmed."

"Of course," the boy said, nodding.

He ran back to his room and found a pair of rubber boots that he slipped into. Then, he wrapped a second yukata around his thin fame and found a little cloak in his closet to protect him somewhat from the rain. Hurrying into the kitchen, he sought the rack near the table that held a lovely, blue handled sword with a cross shaped guard and a smaller, lighter blade. After selecting the smaller sword, he left the little shack and ran along the muddy dirt road, looking left and right and carefully using his senses to avoid any unpleasant surprises. He sensed the old healer in amongst a group of dilapidated buildings and headed there, sliding to a stop as he came upon the healer, setting a bandage on the arm of a little black haired girl, who sniffed and blinked, staring down at her arm, then looking up at Kisho as he arrived.

"Kisho-chan!" she called out in greeting, managing a trembling smile.

"Oh, Gia-chan, what happened to you?" he asked sympathetically, moving to Michio's side and handing the girl a little leaf of peppermint from his pocket.

The girl smiled and accepted the mint leaf, sticking it in her mouth and lightly nibbling as the old healer worked.

"I was being chased by Goro and Isi," she complained, "and I slipped in the mud and hit my arm on a rock. They laughed at me."

"Jerks," Kisho huffed, "You want me to go and pound them a little for you?"

Gia giggled.

"You don't have to," she assured him, "They're mean. I don't want them to hurt Kisho-chan. I'll just be more careful when I'm running in the mud next time."

"That would be wise," chuckled Michio.

He turned an aged blue eye on the slim, grey-eyed youth.

"What brings you, Kisho-kun?" he asked.

"It's papa," Kisho informed the healer, "He is sweaty and feverish. He seems weak and couldn't talk to me very much. His heartbeat is very fast and he was shivering."

"I'll come at once," the healer said, glancing at several other children who were waiting for his help.

Kisho's eyes followed his and he frowned.

 _Dad would want me to do something._

"Michio-san, if I help you with the rest of them, we can still finish quickly and go to my dad," he offered.

Michio gave a relieved sigh and patted the boy's face.

"Good boy, Kisho-kun, we'll make quick work of this, eh?"

Kisho approached a little boy with a bloody wound over his eye and carefully cleaned and disinfected it.

"It doesn't need any stitches," he told the boy, making the little lad smile up at him, "Hold still while I bandage it."

Beside him, Michio worked at healing three siblings afflicted with some kind of itchy rash, then an older boy with a broken toe.

"Kisho, the little bags in my pockets," Michio said, while he turned to help the last of the children.

Kisho searched the healer's pockets and found a little bag on each side that contained a number of tiny hot potatoes.

"I was using them to warm my fingers," the healer said, giving him a wink, "Pass them around, will you?"

Kisho walked through the group of children, passing out the little potatoes until everyone had one, then eating one, himself, as the healer finished his work. They left the children huddled under the eaves and walked back to the edge of town and into the little glen, where Kisho's home stood.

"I'll need you to make hot tea and broth for your father," Michio directed him, "I'll begin the healing."

"Yes, Michio-san!" Kisho said, running into the house and heading for the kitchen.

The old healer turned down the hallway and entered one of the bedrooms, where he found Kisho's father, collapsed, partway between the sleeping mat and the door. He rushed to the unconscious man's side, laying him carefully back on the mat, then washing his sweaty face and throat and examining him carefully. As he worked, the man stirred and moaned softly.

"Bya-san, can you tell me if you have pain in your throat?" asked the healer as his fingers felt the glands on the sick man's neck.

"N-no," Bya managed, "I j-just feel cold and ache all over."

"It is one of two viruses that are plaguing the districts," Michio informed him, "But fortunately for you, you have the less dangerous one. You will have to be careful not to become dehydrated, but you should feel better in a couple of days. Relax now, I will give you a pain block and a reiatsu infusion."

Bya relaxed and closed his eyes, welcoming the influx of calm, numbing power. He blinked drowsily and would have drifted off, but for his son's arrival with the soup and tea.

"Warm yourself up with that and then I want you to rest."

The old healer, reached up to scratch his short beard and glanced from Bya to Kisho and back again.

"I know things are difficult when you get sick," he said to Bya, "Maybe I can help. Your boy is helpful. He knows basic first aid, and I sense that he has respectable reiatsu. I am sure I can teach him how to heal people. If you like, I can take him with me on the circuit I make through the lower districts. We'll be gone for about two weeks. I don't make a lot of money for treating the poor like I do, but I will give your boy a share of whatever does come in. I will provide his board and meals on the journey. Would that work for you?"

"I don't want to leave papa when he's sick," Kisho said worriedly, "But we do need the money. Papa wants to build a little school here for the children. We could let some of them live here and help to watch over the bigger gardens where we'd grow more food. The only reason we can't grow enough now is because things get stolen."

"Well, maybe this will help you get your school started. And while you're gone, Bya-san can heal up and then find some more work."

"I think it's a good idea for you to do this," Bya said, taking his son's hand, "I don't have any powers, but it's clear enough you do. You need someone to help you grow your powers. I have taught you fighting skills, but Michio-san can teach you a trade that can help you earn a living. What do you think, son? Would you like to train as a healer?"

Kisho bit his lip gently, thinking fleetingly of his unspoken hopes to surprise his father by qualifying to join the shinigami academy, but he knew better to say the words aloud.

 _For some reason, he doesn't trust the shinigamis. He never shows his face when they come around. I asked him once and he said he didn't know why he reacted that way. He just felt danger from them. It's strange, because even though the shinigamis are sometimes rough people, they do have powers that allow them to kill the hollows that try to attack us._

"I think it would be great," Kisho said, smiling.

"It's settled then," Michio said, his smile warming, "Bya-san will be well enough in a day or two and we'll go. I will take good care of your boy and teach him some skills he can begin using right off. There is always a need for healers around here, and it does put food on the table."

"Arigato, Michio-san," Bya said softly, "I am very grateful, both for the healing and the offer to train my son. He can offer you protection. I have trained him already in hakudo."

"Good," the old healer sighed, "There are some rugged folk who roam the lower districts. Noa and I will feel safer having a protector along. It sounds like this is going to work out well for all of us."

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 _Tetsuya moved in strangely slow steps, entering the low Rukongai and walking slowly through the rain drenched, muddy streets. He passed blackened, dilapidated buildings and milling souls with sad, untrusting eyes. Any icy breeze blew past him, carrying an oddly familiar scent. Tetsuya moved more quickly in the direction it came from and heard an echoing laugh. He didn't see the boy's face as he passed, but he caught a glimpse of ginger hair and poor clothing. The boy ran past him, heading for a man dressed in equally ragged clothes. The man's chin lifted slightly as the boy approached him, and Tetsuya froze at the sight of his revealed face._

Tetsuya sat up suddenly in bed.

"Byakuya-sama!" he cried loudly.

Strong fingers curled around the leather collar at Tetsuya's slender throat and he was roughly yanked down again.

"Dreaming again, are you?" Orochi chided him, "Don't bother. He's never coming back."

He held the collar firmly and loosed hot breath onto his cousin's earlobe, making it blush and Tetsuya's head turn away in disgust.

"I'm your leader, Tetsuya. After ten years, you should know that. But I have no problem reminding you if you need a lesson."

"You don't need to remind me," Tetsuya said in a soft, defeated voice, "I know Byakuya-sama is gone. It was just a dream. I can't help what I dream."

"Well then," Orochi agreed, running his fingers lightly down the side of his cousin's lovely face, "if you're being tormented by useless dreams, I should keep you awake."

Tetsuya continued to look away and gave no answer. Orochi read the little hint of defiance and his lips curled cruelly.

"When you're awake," he went on smoothly, "you know the truth. You know he killed himself, and you know the reason why, don't you?"

Tetsuya's eyes rounded and he rose to his knees striking wildly at his cousin as Orochi laughed mockingly and shoved him down on his back.

"That's a lie!" Tetsuya screamed, flailing, "You know that's a lie!"

Orochi picked up a leather crop he kept beside the bed and stung Tetsuya's cheek with a quick strike. Tetsuya winced and made a sound of pain, but the anger in his eyes only flared more hotly.

"Shiba Ichigo drove our cousin mad and Byakuya slit his own throat and threw himself off a cliff."

"NO!" Tetsuya howled, struggling.

"That's what the evidence showed," Orochi said coldly, "Why don't you ask that half quincy dog, Ichigo, if you doubt me. He knows the truth. He told the council that he and Byakuya fought just before it happened. I don't know why you hang onto your admiration for that weak hearted fool. He's better off dead."

"You bastard!" Tetsuya shouted, reeling as Orochi answered by striking him across the face with the back of one hand, so forcefully that he crashed down onto the floor.

An attendant burst into the room and flash stepped in between Tetsuya and their furious leader.

"Get out of the way, Koji!" Orochi ordered him, raising the crop and bringing it down on the arm Koji used to shield his face, "He defied me."

"I'm not letting you beat Tetsuya-san!" Koji insisted, raising a protective barrier around Tetsuya's slumped form.

"K-koji," Tetsuya whispered worriedly.

"He's not even moving! You've knocked him out," Koji argued, "Just let me take him out and heal his injuries, Orochi-sama...please."

Orochi let out a disgusted breath and turned away.

"Get him out of here. Take him and lock him in the house jail. Don't heal him. I'll know if you do. He is to have nothing to eat or drink and no visitors."

Koji watched as Orochi whirled and stomped away, then he turned and knelt beside Tetsuya.

"You shouldn't have done that," Tetsuya said wearily, touching Koji's injured arm gently, "He hurt you."

"I'm okay," Koji assured him, helping Tetsuya onto shaky legs and wrapping a warm robe around him, "And if I hadn't stopped the two of you, he might have really hurt you, Tetsuya-san. You know how angry he gets when you argue with him about what happened to Byakuya-sama."

"And you know that story he told the elders was a flat out lie!" Tetsuya said heatedly, "He got the council to believe that if I investigated, I would be biased to protect Byakuya-sama. Then, he had his own people infiltrate the investigation group and concocted that _lie_ they told the elders!"

"I know," Koji said soothingly, squeezing Tetsuya's hand gently, "I know you're right. But Tetsuya-san, there's nothing we can do about it. Orochi is leader now, and he only looks for any reason to hurt you. I promise I will keep helping you secretly to try to find out what really happened."

Tetsuya leaned heavily against Koji, keeping his face hidden as they passed other servants on the way to the house jail. They stopped just short of the entrance.

"I had another dream about him," Tetsuya said, looking at the ground, "I saw a boy with ginger hair, running to a poor man who had our cousin's face. They were in the Rukongai."

Koji nodded.

"But there are a lot lower districts. If you think he is there, I will go on my day off and look around. Do you want me to go and look for him, Tetsuya-san?"

Tetsuya studied his attendant's kind face for a moment, then sighed resignedly.

"You don't really believe he's alive, do you?" he asked sadly.

"I don't know," Koji answered honestly, "But if he was, he was connected strongly to you. And if he was alive, maybe he could be causing your dreams. So, if you want me to go and look, I will."

"Look for what?" asked a familiar voice.

Koji and Tetsuya stared at the ginger-haired man who approached them.

"Ichigo-sama!" Tetsuya exclaimed.

"What happened to your face, Tetsuya?" Ichigo said sternly, "Did that bastard, Orochi, do that?"

"I was defiant to him," Tetsuya explained, "We argued and he hit me."

Ichigo extended a hand and Tetsuya tried to duck away.

"He ordered Koji not to heal it!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm not that asshole's servant," Ichigo snapped, trapping Tetsuya between Koji and him and touching a hand to Tetsuya's face to make the angry red marking disappear.

"You aren't supposed to interfere with another clan's members," Tetsuya reminded him, "and didn't Orochi order the staff not to let you in?"

"I let myself in. I needed to see you."

"Me?" Tetsuya asked, blinking, "Why, Ichigo-sama? Did something happen to Rukia-chan?"

"Rukia? No. She's away with her division on a mission right now. And besides, Orochi's got no claim on her since his first stupid act was to have her thrown out of the clan. I'm protecting Rukia. This is about Byakuya."

Tetsuya looked back at Ichigo quietly and said nothing.

"Look, I know your council ruled that he committed suicide."

"I don't believe that, and you shouldn't either," Tetsuya said softly.

"Tetsuya, I need to go to where it happened. I saw something last night...in a dream I had. I feel like I should go there."

"I could take you there," Koji offered, "I have to get Tetsuya-san checked in with the jailors, but after, I can..."

"Bring him with us," Ichigo said, indicating Tetsuya, "And after, the two of you should come with me."

"We can't. You know we can't," Tetsuya argued, "Rukia-chan wasn't a blood relative, so you had some grounds to dispute her fate. Like it or not, Koji and I are blood relatives. Orochi is our leader. He has every right to discipline me. Besides, being in the jail is more pleasant than being in my cousin's bed. I'll be fine, Ichigo-sama. Go on with Koji. I can see myself inside."

Ichigo made a sound of frustration as Tetsuya left them and entered the house jail building.

"I don't get it."

"Tetsuya-san isn't just worried about himself," Koji explained, "A lot of the staff from before is still here, and Orochi makes sure they are treated worse than anyone else. Tetsuya-san watches out for them."

"Whatever," Ichigo sighed, "We should go before you get in trouble for me being here."

He followed the attendant back into the gardens, where the two clung to the brush as they made their way out the back gate and along the forest path.

"The council's investigators found footprints indicating that Byakuya-sama was staggering as he passed through here. He emerged up there, at the waterfall."

The two continued along the path, slowing as they reached the waterfall.

"This is what was in my dream," Ichigo said, frowning, "It was weird...dark and cold. He was running from someone and I saw something fall and land on the ground...something..."

"But it's been ten years," Koji remarked, watching as Ichigo studied the ground carefully, "The area was searched."

"Was it?" Ichigo asked, turning a skeptical eye on the attendant.

Ichigo found a partially buried rock and started to dig around it.

"In the dream I had, whatever it was fell down and something disturbed a rock and some dirt fell on top of it."

Koji bent, and his hands joined Ichigo's in searching the damp earth. After several minutes of digging, Ichigo made a sound of triumph and lifted a metal chain that held a filthy metal charm on the end. Koji squinted at it curiously.

"A pregnancy charm?" he mused, "Was this from...?"

"Oh my god..." Ichigo whispered, making Koji freeze and stare at the charm in his hand.

"It would have frozen as it was as soon as it was removed from around his neck," the attendant said numbly.

"And that means that Byakuya was pregnant," Ichigo concluded, "So, either Byakuya freaked out and cut his throat and threw himself off this cliff, which I don't believe for a second, or someone from your clan found out that night...and murdered him!"

XXXXXXXXXX

(two days later)

Bya followed Kisho and Michio to the front steps of the shack, where he kissed his son on the cheek and hugged him tightly.

"Come back safely, Kisho."

"I will," Kisho promised, hugging him back, "You keep getting better, Dad."

"I am fine now," Bya assured him, "Go on."

He watched as Michio and Kisho descended the steps, then took the path leading out of the district. After he was sure they were gone, Bya left the house and walked into town, keeping his eyes lowered and speaking to no one. He passed through to a slightly less rundown area and sought a plain but well kept building painted a rich red color and bearing a sign that spelled out _Ondori_ in fine, fancy lettering. He walked to the front door and rang the bell, waiting as footsteps sounded and the door opened in front of him. Bya looked up quietly at the striking man who answered.

The man was tall and slender with an almost feminine look to him. His hair was mingled red, brown and gold, and his fine, silk kimono was scented like flowers. His lively jade colored eyes widened at the sight of the poorly dressed man.

"Why Bya!" he greeted the poor man, "I'd heard you were ill."

"I am fine now," Bya assured him, stepping inside as the man closed the door.

"Fine in body," the man repeated, "but being under the weather means that you fell behind on your bills, ne?"

"Yes. Ondori, I think I will need to work for a day or two so that I can keep us fed and clothed...just until the food in our gardens is ready to harvest."

"That's no problem at all," Ondori said, reaching out and caressing Bya's cheek gently, "A day or two, you say? Is your son out of town?"

"He went with Michio-san to train as a healer. They will be gone for two weeks," Bya answered.

"I see," Ondori said, considering, "And I was also thinking about what you confessed to me when you were here before Bya...how you wanted to save enough to open a little school with a larger garden that you and the children of the town could use to earn money and educate the children for their survival."

"Oh, I am only wanting to..." Bya began.

"Wait," Ondori urged him, "just listen for a moment. I have never lied to you, have I?"

"No," Bya agreed, "You have always been honest with me."

"Then, trust me. Work for me for the two weeks that Kisho is gone. I will have to keep you very busy, which won't be hard to do. You are quite attractive. At the end of the two weeks, you should have enough to open your new school. It would change things for the better, ne?"

Bya frowned.

"But it would certainly mean that you couldn't expect I would come back and work for you. Why would you do that?"

"Oh, that's easy," Ondori said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek, "I like you. I know it hurts you to have to come to me and offer yourself to men for money. So, I'll help you get your school and move on."

"And what are you getting in return?" Bya asked.

"Besides the money you'll make for me? I want you to stay with me for the two weeks," Ondori answered, smiling, "I'm between boyfriends right now and you can keep me company. What do you say, Bya-chan?"

"Is that your way of offering me a warm bed and food, in addition to everything else?" Bya chided him.

"You see right through me," Ondori laughed, embracing him, then kissing him more seductively on the mouth, "Come along now. We will have a client in about a half hour. He asked for two."

 **(AN** I mean for Ondori's name to be, of course, suggestive. My horrible translator gave that as the Japanese word for rooster, which we also call a cock...and Ondori runs a brothel for men. I apologize if the translation isn't right and if there's a better word, let me know. I just thought it would be funny for a sort of outlandish, extroverted brothel owner, who also has protective feelings for Bya.)**


	3. Lost Angels

**Chapter 3: Lost Angels**

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 **(Much, much gratitude to AvellaAria (Aww, Kisho is pretty darned cute, and I'll be developing him a bit more very soon. So glad you are enjoying the story!), Kenni-bun bun (Ondori definitely has Byakuya's back! In an unexpected way...), PrivateCaller (Aww, sorry for the panic. *pats on back* It'll be okay.), Picklez80 (Ichigo will be taking a trip into the Rukon soon...), Aizenfan6969 (Have you ever realized how hard it can be to kill a snake?), Winterheart2000 (Thanks so very much!), Willow (Ondori is a new OC and I am having lots of fun working out his details, so he will be developed more.), BloodyRose 97 (Ah, not to worry, Ondori's connection to Bya is not what it looks like, but you will see! ;) From your lips to the yaoi gods' ears! I would love to have a story that had a thousand reviews. I've got one with over 700, but I'm still a padawan...I will be a jedi yaoi writer someday!), Charmander (By all means, you shall have more!), AliciaJenHavens (My muse has me by the hair on this one. I'm a little addicted!), Frost2351 (Ichigo will be on his way soon!), Anarane-Sensei (Orochi's making more than a few dangerous enemies, and he is about to meet one who will take aim with cupid's gun on Orochi's little love slave, Tetsuya!), Shima-Taicho (WAKE UP! Kuri's entering the story. You don't want to miss this!), Hisuiryuu (Byakuya really is in desperate times, but hope is just around the corner.), Adalie Delacroix (I am having fun considering just how to deal with Orochi...hmmm, so many awesome options!), and DefendtheUndefended (Aww, couldn't do it without you!) Enjoy the new chapter! I baked it myself...)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Ondori stopped Bya just outside the meeting room, turning him slowly and admiring the stunning red and navy kimono he wore, then he fluffed their hair and let out a huffing breath.

"In here is Hideo," the brothel owner explained, "He is from the upper-mid Rukon, but like a lot of them, comes here so that he won't be recognized by anyone. His desire is to be restrained and teased a lot. He's been here a few times and he's been getting more adventurous, so he may do something unexpected. If he misbehaves, I'll handle it."

Bya nodded wordlessly and followed as Ondori slid the door open and entered the room.

Hideo appeared to be a middle aged man of medium height and an average build, with short, spiked salt and pepper hair. He hung, naked and suspended in chain and leather restraints, his eyes covered and his wrists bound above his head. Ondori smiled and motioned for Bya to kneel on a pillow that had been placed in front of the man, while he moved in behind Hideo and ran a riding crop along his cheek.

"Welcome back, love," the brothel owner breathed in the man's ear, "I see that your penchant for recklessness has earned you another little session with me. I guess you must have liked your last visit, ne?"

He nipped the man's earlobe and nuzzled his cheek.

"Do your worst, you bitch!" the man sneered, "You won't get anything out of me!"

Ondori giggled and swatted Hideo's bare bottom, causing an instant reaction in his loins.

"Is that right? I won't be getting anything out of you? I suppose we'll see, won't we?"

He nodded in Bya's direction, and he slipped a restraining ring onto the man, exciting a quick gasp and a snarl as Ondori teased his nipples with the crop, then snapped it across a vulnerable thigh.

"Now then, you can tell me what I want to know, or I can put you in a world of pain the likes of which your little mind couldn't begin to comprehend. What will it be, Hideo-san?"

"Screw you!" the man scoffed, earning another swat on the bottom.

"I see," Ondori said in an ominously calm voice, "You want to play hardball, is that it? Have it your way, then."

He nodded to Bya, who snaked his hands up the man's inner thighs, then teased his nether region with hot breath.

"You see, I'm not alone with you," Ondori explained, sliding his hands between the chains and Hideo's heaving chest, "And while I might be a kitten, you don't know what you have down there, nipping at you. It could be an angel to comfort you, but it could be the devil, himself. I guess you'll see once I give him permission to begin. You might want to reconsider relinquishing your secrets, dear. Once I let this beast begin with you, I might not be able to stop him."

"I already told you, you fucking piece of trash, I'm not telling you _anything_!" Hideo hissed.

"As you wish, love," Ondori answered, picking up something from the table beside him and turning it on.

The device emitted a soft buzzing sound as he slid it down the small of the man's back. Hideo flinched and panted in anticipation.

"I see there's no reasoning with you. Just remember, you asked for it."

Ondori glanced down at Bya and smiled.

"Go ahead, _Yajuu_ (beast, monster or wild animal). Let's make him howl!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo followed his father into the chamber of the Noble's General Council, pausing to look around at the boxes where the delegates of the other noble families gathered.

"There's Kuri," he said, smiling and waving as the leader of the Shima clan did the same, then left his family's box to come and join them.

"Ichibun, you don't usually attend these meetings," Shima Kurushimi said, reaching up to brush a few stray brown hairs out of his turquoise eyes, "Did your father drug you and have you dragged in?"

"Very funny," Ichigo chuckled, "I came because my dad told me that the Kuchiki clan is pushing for reducing mixed blood status to house servant status. I mean, he already treats his own mixed blood relatives like slaves, but now he wants the other clans to lower their status and revoke their rights to marry or have families."

" _Bastardo_!" Kuri fumed, his caramel skin flushing, "Byakurai would never have allowed such a thing. Never!"

Kuri's head turned to look as Orochi entered the room with several attendants and a painfully lovely sapphire eyed man, an exotic beauty even in the plain blue kimono he wore, bearing the Kuchiki family crest on one breast, and with a leather collar around his slender throat, branded with the same crest.

"What the devil...?" Kuri whispered, staring, "Ichibun, who is that?"

"Kuchiki Tetsuya," Ichigo answered in a low, angry voice.

" _That_ is Kuchiki Tetsuya?" Kuri mused, "That beautiful creature? There is no way that is him."

"What? Why not?" Ichigo asked, looking amused.

"That delicate thing? Survive the horrors of the prison, Itamigiri? I don't think so..."

"Yeah? Well, he's tougher than he looks. I don't get it, though. Tetsuya was always near Byakuya. You mean to tell me that in all of the time you knew Byakuya, you never saw him? Not once?"

Kuri smiled.

"Kuchiki Tetsuya was always near Byakurai, and I did sense him, but being Byakurai's bodyguard, he was very good at hiding. I never once caught sight of him."

"Well, it's hard for him to hide when that asshole, Orochi has his powers sealed. Tetsuya told me that he only has his flash step and his natural ability to breathe under water, even though he can't manipulate it like he used to. Orochi keeps Tetsuya as close to him as Byakuya did. Only thing is, it's just so he can torment Tetsuya."

"You know all of this and you haven't rescued him yet?" Kuri chided him, "Ichibun, where are your balls?"

"Hey! I would've gotten Tetsuya out a long time ago," Ichigo explained, "but he was scared that if he left with me, Orochi would take it out on Byakuya's old staff at the manor. He's staying to protect them from Orochi."

"Ichibun...Ichibun, have I taught you nothing?"

"What do you mean? I told you, Tetsuya won't leave."

"Because if he _leaves_ ," Kuri said, winking, "then that snake will punish the others. But...what will that little _serpiente_ do if his beautiful hostage is _kidnapped_?"

"Don't even think about it!" Ichigo objected, "You don't know...!"

He was cut off suddenly as the grand councilor arrived and the secretary called the meeting to order.

"Please stand to greet our grand councilor, Saito Daisuke!"

The noble leaders and delegates stood as Daisuke, a striking white haired man dressed in flowing white robes, with commanding brown eyes and a proud bearing. He took his place in front of the gathered nobles.

"Will the secretary announce the first item on the agenda?" Daisuke requested in a cool, formal tone.

"The Kuchiki family wishes the leaders of the clans to hear argument and testimony regarding a lowering of status for all family members of mixed blood. As part of his testimony, we will be questioning Kuchiki Tetsuya."

Daisuke nodded.

"Proceed."

Orochi stood and walked out from the Kuchiki house's assigned seating to a podium set in front of the grand councilor and a group of high elders behind him. Tetsuya followed in Orochi's wake and stood silently as his cousin began his arguments.

"Grand Councilor, elders and attending families, you know that for much of our early history, the mixing of noble and common blood in our society was a crime. And while I am sure those of us here do not favor the old laws that demanded execution of those who broke the laws regarding the mixing of blood, I know we all have to concern ourselves with the very real threat that these mixed bloods can pose. Take, for example, this beauty I have brought with me."

He turned and touched Tetsuya's face, angling it for the gathered leaders to see.

"Kuchiki Tetsuya could stand among us, and he looks just like one of us. Some would say he _is_ just like one of us. The truth is, he is not. As much as some want to believe that his peasant blood doesn't matter...let me show you why it does."

He paused and nodded for Tetsuya to approach the podium, then stepped in front of it, facing his wary looking cousin.

"Tetsuya, will you tell the family leaders what position you held when Kuchiki Byakuya was our leader?" Orochi inquired.

"I was Byakuya-sama's personal bodyguard and head of house security," Tetsuya answered calmly.

"And how did you feel about your duty to protect Byakuya?"

"I was driven to protect Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya explained, "He rescued me from Itamigiri, and he trained me to know the ways of the noble families, to obey their rules and to adhere to the customs and traditions. Byakuya-sama also assisted me in growing my powers until I reached bankai."

"So," Orochi concluded, "you were completely committed to his safety, ne?"

"I was," Tetsuya confirmed.

"I see. Tetsuya, will you tell the leaders, as part of your duties, did Byakuya-sama ever ask you to do something that was not in the best interests of his safety?"

Tetsuya frowned.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Orochi said slyly, "Byakuya was under your protection when he was secretly seeing Shiba Ichigo, wasn't he?"

"Yes."

"Were you aware, at the time, that Shiba Ichigo was a mixed blood quincy and noble shinigami?"

"Why does that matter?" Tetsuya asked, tensing.

"Why indeed?" Orochi echoed cryptically, "Tetsuya, will you tell the leaders what orders Byakuya had in place regarding Shiba Ichigo?"

Tetsuya paused, staring at Orochi wordlessly.

"Tetsuya?"

"I was ordered to allow Shiba Ichigo into the grounds at will. I was also ordered to give them their privacy."

"And will you tell the leaders what logistic problems such an order can cause?"

"Obviously, we have to first identify it is him entering..."

"And while you do, there is a delay in response, isn't there?"

"Sometimes."

"The night Byakuya killed himself..."

"He _didn't_ kill himself!" Tetsuya insisted, "And we don't know he's dead."

"Come now, we all know he's dead," Orochi taunted him, "Tetsuya, you sound delusional. There was an investigation and it found that Byakuya fought with Shiba Ichigo, then fled out to the waterfall on the grounds, cut his throat, and plunged to his death. Those are the facts. But let that be. Will you tell the leaders what you and your house guards were doing when all of this happened?"

"There was a breach in security," Tetsuya explained, "I was going to see..."

"You had to give them their privacy, then after Ichigo left, you had to delay your response," Orochi said pointedly, "because it could have been Ichigo returning, ne?"

Tetsuya stared at his cousin silently.

"You weren't there while our cousin was arguing with Ichigo or just after, while he was taking his life."

"Byakuya didn't...!"

"ENOUGH!" Orochi roared.

Tetsuya paled and went silent again as Orochi approached him and grabbed him by the chin, showing his face again to the gathered leaders.

"This," he said, pausing dramatically, "is the reason that the Kuchiki clan lost the greatest leader in our history."

"N-no!" Tetsuya whispered, going sheet white.

"But you are," Orochi corrected him, "You see, if you were a pureblood noble son, and acting properly under the rules of security required by _any_ noble household, you wouldn't have been distracted, and you would have been there to intervene when Byakuya became suicidal. We could have offered the poor thing help."

"I was only doing what Byakuya asked me to do," Tetsuya whispered.

"Yes, because it pleased you that he wasn't like the rest of us, right?"

"No!" Tetsuya sobbed.

"You _liked_ that he was improperly attracted to a mixed blood and an heir, which violated our laws."

"S-stop!" Tetsuya pleaded, tears leaking onto his face.

"You had an obligation to protect Byakuya, even if it was from himself, didn't you?"

"I...!"

"DIDN'T YOU, TETSUYA?"

Tetsuya gave a final agonized sob and dropped onto his knees, burying his face in his hands and crying silently as Orochi motioned for Koji to join them.

"You see," Orochi sighed, watching as Koji coaxed Tetsuya to his feet and returned him to the Kuchiki family's box, "it's tragic. There is such confusion in the mixed blood's heart. And it can have deadly consequences. The only answer is to give them a place in the family that is safe and meaningful for them. Let them take our name and serve their pureblood brothers in safe, but necessary capacities. We needn't lock them up in prisons, but we should be wary of them. They look like us...but they are not like us. Byakuya made the mistake of thinking that they were. He placed his life in the hands of one of these pretty imposters and he paid the ultimate price. Any of the rest of us could share his fate if we do not take action!"

"You are full of so much horse shit!" Ichigo exclaimed, standing, "Tetsuya had nothing to do with Byakuya dying and you know it!"

"Shiba Ichigo!" shouted the secretary, "You are out of order!"

"It's all right," Orochi chuckled, smirking victoriously, "This mixed blood misfit is only proving what I've said."

"You'd better use more respect when you talk to my son, you bastard!" Isshin snapped, coming to his feet beside Ichigo, "Ichigo is pureblood noble. My wife was of a powerful noble quincy family, and our laws acknowledge foreign noble clans too!"

"Grand Councilor," Orochi said, turning his back on them, "I am finished with my arguments and would like to invite discussion of the matter."

"Master Secretary," Daisuke said, nodding.

"The floor is now open for discussion of the relocation of status for family mixed bloods."

In front of them, the room erupted into chaos.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bya wrapped a warm, thick yukata around his thin, freshly washed frame and walked out into Ondori's bedroom, where he climbed into the bed and sank down, curling into the soft, comfortable bedding. Tears came to his eyes at just how good it felt to escape the cold, for even one night, let alone the fourteen he would have.

"Are you all right, Bya?" Ondori asked, winding his long, multi-colored hair into a braid and sliding into the bed, "You looked a little unhappy when Hideo turned the tables and tied you up after him."

"You were there," Bya answered calmly, relenting easily as the brothel owner curled around him and rubbed his aching wrists gently, "He didn't do anything really painful."

"He also gave us an enormous tip," Ondori chuckled, "If we keep up like that, you'll have the money for your school in only one week instead of two!"

"I promised you two weeks," Bya said quietly, "I will give you two."

"After two, you and I might both have enough to just get out of here and go somewhere else."

Bya gave the brothel owner a curious look.

"You probably have enough to leave now," he surmised, "Why do you stay?"

Ondori smiled sadly.

"Too much regulation in the upper Rukongai," he complained, "And I really only know this business. I wouldn't be much good for anything else."

"I'm sure you could find something else," Bya insisted.

"But," Ondori said, tracing the curve of Bya's face, "then who would be here to look out for lost angels like you?"

Bya turned in Ondori's arms and stretched out along his side, burying his face under the other man's chin.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is it that you have never had sex with me?" asked Bya, "You kiss me sometimes and massage me, but you never ask me to have sex with you."

"Isn't that obvious?" Ondori asked, looking amused, then giving a long, weary sigh, "This way, the way we are...we can face whatever that big cruel world out there can throw at us. But as soon as I make love to you, I'll only be another piece of that cruel world that's using you and causing you pain. Trust me, it's better this way."

Bya emerged from under his chin to offer a chaste, but lingering kiss. He laid his head back down on Ondori's warm shoulder, a look of torment flashing on his face for a moment, then disappearing as suddenly.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been walking along the shore of the river that day when you found me," he whispered, "I would have died and Kisho would never have been born."

"That's another reason I've never made love to you. There's someone out there who loves you. He's probably still wondering where you are."

"It's been ten years," Bya said wearily, "If someone loved me so much, where is he?"

"I don't know, love," Ondori said sleepily, "but you shouldn't give up hope. Judging by that sweet boy you and your lover made together, I'd say he was the love of your whole life."

"I don't remember anything about him," Bya whispered.

"You know the color of his hair, and that Kisho has his hands and some of his facial expressions. You said, yourself, this or that must have come from his father."

"You mean, his occasional stubbornness?" Bya said, smirking.

"And his protectiveness," Ondori added, "There is nothing that boy won't do for you."

"And I would do anything to give him a better life," Bya said, closing his eyes, "I just wish I could give him better than this."

Ondori's slim hands caressed his face and his fingers ran slowly through the lengths of silken black hair.

"You give that boy everything you can," the brothel owner whispered into his ear, "And someday, you and that one you love will give Kisho the home you so much want for him."

"Are you a fortune teller now?" Bya teased softly.

"No. I just have that feeling about you...like I felt about walking along the river that day. If I just take care of you and keep you alive, your lover will find you and take you home."

"And you?"

"I will be fine. I am always fine."

Bya frowned thoughtfully.

"Ondori, why did you come here? I mean, before..."

The brothel owner smiled sadly.

"I got lost too."


	4. The Kidnapper

**Chapter 4: The Kidnapper**

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 **(My gratitude to Periwinkle (Thanks so much!), PrivateCaller (You are too sweet! More is granted.), GrimmIchisGrl (He's going to get an unpleasant surprise soon, and some comeuppance later!), Winterheart2000 (I like Ondori too. I haven't made a new OC for a while and he's a lot of fun.), Willow (Tetsuya is about to get some help. :) And I'm glad you're enjoying Ondori. I may use him in other fics.), Adalie Delacroix (Ichigo's just looking for a reason and a direction to look for Byakuya, and he's about to get a big clue!), Hisuiryuu (It's a maxim of mine that what goes around comes around, so I don't think Orochi's going to be causing trouble for much longer...), Frost2351 (Orochi's going to be the one wearing a frown very soon!), Shima-Taicho31 (Oh, you are going to love this kidnapping!), AliciaJenHavens (You are so welcome! I will not leave you hanging long.), Anarane-Sensei (So glad you're enjoying Kuri! And to everyone, pardon any mistakes in the Spanish in this chapter. I did my best.) and Kenni-Bun-bun (That rescue will be...unusual! lol, have fun!) Enjoy the new chapter! Love, Spunky)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Michio and Kisho started up the walkway to a small brown house that was poor, like the others around it, but looked cleaner and better kept. Michio stopped the boy short of the steps and used a kido spell to create a small barrier around their faces and hands.

"This virus enters through the nose and mouth," he explained, "when the sick person coughs or sneezes. A healer must always be cautious with his own health, or he will not be there when other people need him."

"Hai, Michio-san," Kisho answered, following as the old man continued up the walkway and knocked on the door.

The door opened and a very young girl with curly black hair and large blue eyes peeked out at them.

"Michio-san, you're here!" the girl sobbed.

"I am here, child," the healer said soothingly, "I hear your parents and sister have been ill. Have you been able to do what I sent in the message?"

"Yes, Michio-san," the girl sniffed, "I put blankets on them and gave them sips of water, tea and broth."

"Good girl," Michio said approvingly, "Now, this is my apprentice, Kisho-kun. Why don't you show him the kitchen and he will prepare some herbal remedies while I see your family?"

"Okay," the girl said, reaching out to Kisho.

The grey-eyed youth smiled and accepted her hand, following her up a hallway as Michio turned the other way, towards the bedrooms.

"What is your name?" Kisho asked.

"I'm Kiwa," the girl answered, leading him into the kitchen, "My parents are Tadao and Maria, and my sister is Cho."

"It's nice to meet you," Kisho said, taking the herbs from his pack and placing them on the counter, "Could you please bring me a cutting board and knife, Kiwa-chan?"

"Sure," the girl replied, crossing the kitchen and taking the cutting board from beside the sink, then opening a drawer to look for the knife.

She returned and handed the items to Kisho, who she found sorting the herbs.

"Do you like being a healer?" Kiwa asked.

"Sure," Kisho said approvingly, "I get to meet a lot of nice people."

The girl contemplated his answer for a moment.

"But aren't you sad when you can't help someone and they die?" she inquired, glancing back at the hallway.

"Yeah," Kisho admitted, sobering, "that is hard. But Michio-san told me something that helped."

"What?"

"Well," Kisho answered, pausing and turning to face her, "He told me that everyone has their time. And when it's time for someone to die, there's still an important job that healers do. They comfort the person."

He took the smaller girl's hands in his and held them gently.

"Dying people can still hear our voices and feel our touch. We relieve their pain and reassure them that they're not alone."

"And that makes them feel better?"

"Usually, yes. Sometimes, a person is worried about something, and we can make them feel better about it or find someone who can take care of whatever it is. Sometimes, all we can do is hold their hands and talk quietly to them, but it's all part of healing."

"I want to be a healer," Kiwa said suddenly, "I practice with my bear."

"That's good," said Kisho, smiling at her and releasing her hands, then turning back to finish preparing the herbs, "You should be old enough soon to be an apprentice like me."

"Kisho."

The youth felt a sudden catch in his chest and stomach at the edge in Michio's voice.

"Yes, Michio-san?"

The old healer gave him a meaningful look.

"I need you to take a message to my wife, back at the cart. Please tell her that I am staying the night here and will return in the morning."

Kisho was careful not to react outwardly to the words.

 _But he means that these people are dying. They won't live until morning. I wonder if it's all of them. If it is..._

He stole a glance at Kiwa, then looked back at Michio and nodded.

"Hai, I will take care of it."

Tears burned in his eyes as Michio took the little girl's hand and led her towards her parents' bedroom.

 _That's why I was so scared when Dad got sick. I never know if when that happens, we might be saying our goodbyes too._

 _I hope Dad is okay._

He left the little house without looking back and walked silently up the street to where Noa worked at healing several injured and sick children. She accepted his message with a sad smile and patted him on the face, giving a sigh as Kisho quietly joined her in healing the children.

 _He has a healer's heart, that boy. I can see it breaking for that little girl and her family, but he doesn't despair. Like Bya, he just carries on as best he can._

 _Good boy._

Kisho focused his attention on his work, smiling kindly at each child he met and trying not to think about the little girl, who was about to be left alone. He startled as Michio's voice sounded behind him, and turned to see the old healer, laying the sobbing girl in Noa's arms and gently placing a sleep kido on her.

"Let her rest in the cart, and we'll take her to the orphanage."

"I spoke to them already. They have no room to spare. It's the same story in all the lower districts lately."

Michio sighed and closed his tired eyes for a moment.

"Michio-san," Kisho said, his eyes on Kiwa, "Can we bring her along with us?"

The old healer smiled.

"Now boy, what have I told you about not being able to solve every problem or bring home every stray?"

"It's okay," Kisho assured him, "You can give me less so we'll have enough to feed and take care of her. She already had the virus and lived, right?"

"Yes."

"W-well, I was thinking that she could just come along with us, and when we go home, she could stay with Dad and me...just until we find her a place, you know?"

Michio and Noa exchanged knowing looks and shook their heads in amusement.

"Very well, then," Michio agreed, "But as your foster sister, she is your responsibility. You will have to take care of her."

"I will," Kisho promised, "I will take good care of Kiwa."

"You heard the boy," Michio prompted his wife, who handed the sleeping girl over to Kisho, "Take her inside and make her comfortable."

"Hai!" Kisho said, lifting Kiwa gently into the cart.

"Do you think that was the right thing to do?" Noa asked softly, "You know Bya is already struggling to care for just the boy and himself."

"Mhmm," Michio agreed, "but one thing I know about those two is that however hard things are, they will always find a way."

"That's no excuse for adding more to their burden!" Noa said skeptically, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a soft glare.

"Come on," the old healer said, pecking his wife affectionately on the cheek, "We've got more wounds to heal."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You've been quiet since we came back from the council meeting," Orochi said, sliding a hand down Tetsuya's lightly sweat misted back and over his plundered bottom, "Does that mean you're finally making peace with the inevitable?"

Tetsuya breathed slowly, in and out, barely hearing.

"I know it's painful, but it isn't the worst thing in the world, you know. You have a place here with me and I've even let you keep a pureblood as a servant."

 _It's only because you know that Koji is the only thing holding me together. I would just die if I lost him too. I know I would._

 _Byakuya, Arashi, my powers, my desires to protect someone, my very freedom. Everything is gone. And now that horrible man is using me to bring other mixed bloods to a similar fate._

 _I won't let him._

"Of course, maybe it's time for you to stop having a servant," Orochi pondered.

"I can't stop you if you take him away," Tetsuya said wearily, "You wanted me to feel helpless and alone and you've taken everything else. It's only a matter of time. Reassign him then."

"I don't think so," Orochi breathed in his ear, "I need him to watch you. I wouldn't want you to follow in Byakuya's footsteps and throw yourself off a cliff."

Tears came to Tetsuya's eyes, but he forced himself not to answer. He gave no resistance as Orochi rolled him onto his back and offered him a long, passionate kiss and he submitted quietly to another heated coupling.

 _Anything to make him go away for a while._

Orochi's face reflected a moment of surprise as Tetsuya curled into his arms and laid his head on his wicked cousin's naked shoulder. He held his despondent cousin for a few minutes, frowning at the worrisome change in his behavior. Finally, he slipped out of bed and left Tetsuya sleeping.

"Koji," he said, stepping into the attendant's bedroom.

"Orochi-sama?" the attendant answered, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes.

"I have to leave for a while. You are not to leave Tetsuya alone. Do you understand?"

"Hai."

The two left Koji's quarters and walked back to the bedroom, where they froze as they passed through the doorway and found the bed empty and the room deserted. Koji felt a chill run down his spine at the look of rage that overtook Orochi's darkly handsome face.

" _Find_ him!" the black-eyed man hissed, "Quickly!"

The two flash stepped out the garden doors, heading in the only direction both knew he would have gone.

Tetsuya sprinted, naked, through the gardens, sparing nothing as he vaulted the back fence and flash stepped madly down the forest trail.

 _I have to reach it before they catch up with me!_

He poured everything into his flash step, not daring to look back as he felt Orochi's burgeoning anger and sensed his rising reiatsu. He felt a little ache in his heart as he sensed Koji's distress, but forced his feet to keep moving as the trees went by in a blur, and he closed in on the waterfall and cliff. As he reached it, someone dressed in black shot out of the bushes and moved to intercept him.

 _One of Orochi's guards?_

The man was wearing the right clothing, but the turquoise eyes that fixed on him said that he was someone else. Still, time was of the essence.

"Stop!" the man cried, "You'll kill us, Tetsu-hana!"

Tetsuya sucked in a surprised breath as he crashed into the other man and threw them off the cliff together.

 _The Shima clan leader? Shima Kurushimi?_

The two splashed down into the river and Tetsuya just managed to grab the man's hand as the current tried to push them away from each other. Sensing Orochi's arrival at the top of the cliff, Tetsuya dove downward in the water, dragging the Shima leader along and quickly extending to him the ability to breathe under the water. The hand that had been so tight on his relaxed, and Kurushimi swam with him. The current quickly carried the two far downstream, where Tetsuya guided them to shore and they crawled out of the water, coughing the water out of their lungs.

 _"¡Idiota! Se podría haber matado a nosotros! ¿Qué estabas pensando, estupido_?" Kurushimi sputtered furiously. (Idiot! You could have killed us! What were you thinking, stupid?)

Tetsuya straightened, crossing his arms and ignoring the fact that he was scandalously naked.

"What were you doing on Kuchiki land when I know my cousin would never have invited you, and wearing the clothes of his house guards and skulking around in the bushes?" Tetsuya demanded.

Kuri blinked and stared in fascination at Tetsuya's lovely, dripping body, momentarily stunned.

"I was kidnapping you," he mumbled dazedly.

"You were _kidnapping_ me?" Tetsuya asked, looking confused, "Why?"

"Well, for one thing, I was hoping to keep you from killing yourself after how that _pendejo_ (asshole) humiliated you with that bullshit about Byakurai!"

"Killing myself?" Tetsuya snapped, "I wasn't killing myself. You're the one who almost got us killed by jumping out in front of me like that!"

"Eh..." Kuri said uneasily, "Tetsu-hana, please, feel free to go on insulting me, if you want, but would you please cover up? You are making me blush!"

"Oh, and with what am I supposed to cover myself?" Tetsuya demanded angrily, Are you going to take off those stolen clothes and give them back to me?"

"That wouldn't be my first choice. No," Kuri snorted, "You should have put on some clothes before you ran away."

"If I had taken the time to put on clothes, then I wouldn't have gotten away."

Kuri frowned.

"Tetsu-hana..."

"My _name_ is _Tetsuya_ ," the blue eyed man said stiffly.

"Of course," Kuri went on, "But, I don't understand. Ichibun said that you wouldn't run away from that _serpiente_ because he might hurt your friends at Kuchiki Manor. That's why I was trying to kidnap you. But if that's so, then why did you run now?"

"Because I had Orochi fooled into thinking I was suicidal."

"It worked," Kuri noted, arching an eyebrow, "You had me convinced you wanted to die."

"If he thought I was escaping, he would have hurt the others, but since he thinks I was suicidal, he'll just look for me. And you'd better hope he doesn't catch us, because if he figures out you helped me, after he's done beating me, he'll come after you too."

"Let him come then," Kuri sneered, "I'll put his ass where his face goes...not that there's much of a difference."

Tetsuya gave the Shima leader a look of amusement.

"You really don't like my cousin, do you?" he observed.

"No," Kuri answered, squeezing the excess water out of his shirt, "I _really_ , _really_ don't like your cousin."

"I suppose that makes us allies for the moment, then," Tetsuya concluded.

"I suppose it does," Kuri agreed.

Tetsuya extended a slender hand.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced," he said in a more friendly tone, "I am Kuchiki Tetsuya."

"Shima Kurushimi," Kuri offered, "but you may call me Kuri-kuri...or just Kuri."

"I am pleased to meet you face to face, Kurushimi-sama."

"I said to call me Kuri," the Shima leader corrected him, "It is a pleasure to meet you too, Tetsu-hana."

"Tetsuya."

"To them, you are Tetsuya," Kuri said, smiling in a way that finally brought a blush to Tetsuya's face and throat, "but to me, you are forever Tetsu-hana...an iron flower...or maybe just a flower with iron balls, eh? Let's find some clothes somewhere for you, Tetsu-hana. _Estoy cachondo_..."

"What does that mean?" Tetsuya asked, frowning, "It's Spanish, right?"

"Mhmm," Kuri said, turning away, "It means you are making me horny."

"Oh," Tetsuya said, flushing all over.

"That's making it worse..."

XXXXXXXXXX

Koji stood on the shore of the rushing river, looking around anxiously. He heard an approaching flash step and tensed for a moment, then relaxed slightly as Ichigo appeared in front of him.

"Ichigo-sama, thank kami!" the attendant said in a relieved voice, "I'm glad you're here."

"Your hell butterfly said it was urgent. What happened? Did Tetsuya get into trouble with your cousin?"

"Sort of," Koji answered, indicating the river, "Orochi left Tetsuya-san alone for a moment, and he ran to the cliff where Byakuya-sama...w-was lost, and he jumped off. Orochi-sama thinks he was despondent over the council meeting and tried to kill himself."

"Whoa, you said he jumped off the cliff where Byakuya disappeared?"

"Yes."

"But, you don't think he was trying to kill himself? I've seen that cliff. It's a pretty dangerous jump."

"Tetsuya-san is well acquainted with that cliff, and he is athletic. He wasn't trying to hurt himself. He was escaping."

"Are you sure?" Ichigo mused, "He seemed like he didn't want to escape because of the other people serving Orochi at Kuchiki Manor."

"I know Tetsuya-san," Koji said with certainty, "He did this to hide that he was going to look for Byakuya-sama."

"He's going after Byakuya...now?"

"Orochi never let him have an opening, not in ten years, not until now. He has had Tetsuya-san watched every minute. He looked away for a moment and Tetsuya-san escaped."

"And you want to go and look for him?" Ichigo asked.

"I have to go back. Orochi will be suspicious if I don't act like I believe Tetsuya-san was serious about killing himself. But I thought you should know...and I thought you should know that Tetsuya-san has been having dreams about Byakuya-sama. Several times now, he has glimpsed what he said was Byakuya-sama, somewhere in the low Rukongai. I think that's where he'll go now."

"All right, then. I'll find him and help him out," Ichigo agreed, "I want to know too if there's any chance what he's seeing could be true. I mean, I had that dream about the pendant Byakuya was wearing. If that was real, then maybe this is too. And anyway, if there's any chance Byakuya's still alive, I'm going to find him. Thanks, Koji. I'll go and take care of it."

"Thank you, Ichigo-sama...and good luck. Oh, and one more thing. There may be someone with Tetsuya-san."

"Oh?" Ichigo asked, "Who?"

"I was a step ahead of Orochi, so I think he didn't see, but as I came to the cliff, I saw Tetsuya-san crash into a man dressed in black, who then fell with him. I don't know who he was. He wasn't a house guard, although he was wearing their uniform."

Ichigo's eyes lit in realization.

"Kuri," he said firmly.

"Your cousin, the Shima leader?"

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled, "He was joking that he was going to kidnap Tetsuya to get him out of there. Looks like he wasn't kidding. Well, at least that means Tetsuya will have some help. Thanks Koji. I'm going after them."

"Thank you, Ichigo-sama. Please help them!"


	5. Healing

**Chapter 5: Healing**

 **(Have to run off, but didn't want to keep you waiting for this! I will catch up on shout outs on the next. Love you, Spunky)**

Bya sat quietly on the bed in the violet colored meeting room, focusing steadily on the closed door and carefully avoiding any real thought about who would be entering the room or what would happen when the man arrived.

 _Kisho has been gone for almost a week now, and I have been able to hire builders to start construction of the school, gardeners to begin landscaping, and guards to ensure the safety of what is placed there. Ondori was right. I should be able to finish the two weeks and have more than enough for the entire project. It is everything I wanted...what Kisho and I wanted. We will be able to offer something of value to the town. The town council has already said that once the school is built, they will assist with some things._

The door opened, interrupting his thoughts, and a somewhat tall, very pale, bespectacled man short cropped black hair and luminous violet eyes entered the room. Bya looked up at him expectantly. The man smiled at him and closed the door behind him.

"Ondori-san was right," he commented, "You are very beautiful."

He moved closer and sat down on the edge of the bed so that they half faced each other.

"I am Nagataka," the man said, extending a white hand and curving it around Bya's cheek.

His hand was soft and cool, and seemed to carry a slightly sweet scent that played across Bya senses strangely as the odd violet eyes fixed him in place.

"May I see more of you?" the man asked politely.

"Of course," Bya replied, sliding his hands down the front of his yukata and releasing the tie, revealing the slightly thin, but comely body underneath.

Nagataka's smile warmed.

"Lovely," he breathed, tracing the lines of Bya's solemn face with curious fingertips, then running his fingers through the lengths of silken black hair.

His hand curled around the back of Bya's head and he lowered the raven-haired man down onto his back, leaning over him and very slowly examining the expanse of sweetly scented white flesh. The man's hypnotic eyes looked steadily into Bya's as his hands followed the curves of his body, and Nagataka's warm aroma seemed to surround him, making his eyes go hazy and his heart quicken.

A feeling of warning trickled into his awareness and he tried to sit up, but found that his body wouldn't respond. He tried to move his lips, but it seemed as though something in the man's eyes and his scent mingled and cast a spell over Bya's body, leaving him open and completely unable to move or even change his expression.

"Beautiful, so very beautiful," Nakataka whispered, sliding his fingers over Bya's softly heaving white breast.

He brushed his cheek teasingly against a pretty pink nipple, then ran his open hand down Bya's slim torso, beginning a slow exploration of his nether region as he rested his face against the side of the now hypnotized prostitute.

"I apologize," Nagataka whispered into Bya's ear, "I am hungry and I must feed."

Bya's heart pounded harder and he struggled to make his body move, to make a sound or to even alter his expression, but his body remained perfectly still and unable to respond as the man on top of him paused to dampen his fingers with lubricant, then slowly prepared him.

"I am a hollow," the man confessed, "I didn't choose to be this way, much like you probably never wanted to be what you are. I don't enjoy devouring souls. I hate what I am. But, as I'm sure you are aware, we all have an instinct to survive, so I must kill you and devour your soul. But I will make your death as lovely and sweet as you are, Bya. Don't be afraid. It will only be like falling into a wonderful, beautiful dream. You will see the face of the one your heart most desires as you die. It will be the very last thing you see, and you will die with your lover's name on your sweet lips."

Terror flooded Bya's spellbound body as the hollow parted his thighs and joined their bodies. A strange numbness flooded his body and the haze around him thickened until Bya couldn't see anymore and could only feel the hollow's movements. He picked up the sound of a garbled voice as he tumbled into a vivid, gripping dream.

 _"Byakuya," the voice called more clearly._

 _He opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back beneath a blossoming sakura tree, with pretty pink petals drifting in the air, framing the handsome, smiling man who looked down at him._

 _"Are you awake now?" the man asked._

 _"Ichigo!" he gasped, tears coming to his eyes as he reached up to caress his lover's cheek._

 _"I'm with you," Ichigo said, his fingers playing in the fallen petals that decorated Byakuya's naked body, "You look like you've missed me."_

 _"Ichigo!" he exclaimed again, tears streaming onto his face as he sat up and wrapped his arms around the love of his life, "Anata, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I left you! Will you forgive me, Ichigo?"_

 _"What are you talking about?" Ichigo chuckled, hugging him and running affectionate fingers through his hair, "You haven't left me. There's nothing to forgive."_

 _"I love you, Ichigo," Byakuya whispered, holding his lover tightly and closing his eyes._

 _"I love you too," Ichigo's voice answered, echoing oddly, "I love you forever...I love you...to death."_

Nagataka's lips curled back to reveal wicked, razor sharp fangs and he bent slowly to bring them to the senseless prostitute's throat to tear it out. He was scant inches away when the violet door to the chamber exploded inward and Ondori burst into the room, his infuriated jade colored eyes glowing with radiant light.

"Get off of him, you hollow bastard!" the brothel owner shrieked, firing blue light from his hands that made the hollow tear away from Bya's limp body and crash through the window.

Ondori ran to the bed and pulled the motionless man into his arms.

"Bya!" he called urgently, "Bya, can you hear me, love? Bya! Bya, wake up!"

Footsteps sounded in the hallway and several young men and women appeared outside the doorway.

"Ondori-san! Ondori-san, what happened?" the first to enter the room cried.

Ondori laid Bya gently back down on the bed and closed his yukata, tying it at the waist and smoothing the edges as the others pressed forward.

"What is it, Ondori-san?" another of the prostitutes asked, his blue eyes round and frightened, "What happened to him?"

"It was one of those tricky, soul-sucking hollows," Ondori huffed in a disgusted tone, "I don't know how I didn't sense him faster. They don't usually dare set foot in here because they sense I have some powers. It primed his body with its reiatsu and was about to eat him! He's still reacting to the reiatsu. It's paralyzing him and making him unable to respond to us. Luckily for him, those soul-suckers like to consume their prey while still alive, so they infuse them with their reiatsu, then wait until they're fully sedated and calm before tearing their throats out and completely devouring them. The reiatsu will fade, but it's dangerous because it's slowing his breathing and his heart."

"Should we go for a healer?" a young woman asked.

"Michio and Noa are several districts over," Ondori sighed, "And you know that Bya doesn't want his son to know about him working here. I think there's only one thing to do."

Ondori leaned over and kissed Bya on the forehead.

"We'll keep him in my room and watch him until the reiatsu wears off. He'll probably be out until morning at least, poor thing."

He gave Bya a relieved smile and patted him lightly on the cheek.

"Well, it's a good thing I make clients pay first, ne?" he joked, "Come, Bya-chan, let's get you to bed."

He lifted the unconscious man carefully and carried him out of the room, proceeding down the hallway and to his own room.

"The rest of you keep an eye out in case that creep comes back," he warned the others.

He carried Bya to the bed and tucked him in, sliding in next to him and caressing his face and hands as he slept.

"This is my fault," Ondori whispered, "I should have just given you the money for that school a long time ago. But you're a proud man, aren't you, Bya-chan? You wouldn't have let me. I think I'm not going to give you a choice this time. This is no way for you to live."

He sat up and looked across the room to where a number of costumes and wigs hung on a tall rack.

"You get some rest and let me take care of a few things. When you open those pretty eyes of yours, Ondori-san will have a big surprise for you, ne?"

He started to get up, then turned back, staring at Bya as he moaned softly and his body glowed for a moment with soft, pink light. Ondori's gaze grew intense and he yielded a little smile.

"So, you are beginning to remember who you are?" he whispered, laying a warm palm on the unconscious man's cheek, "That's good. Ten years is a long time to be lost."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ow-w!" Ichigo groaned as Kurushimi supported him on one side and Tetsuya on the other, "What the hell is wrong with Kenpachi? Does he have to try to pick a damned fight every time we cross paths? And why's he down here anyway?"

"I was doing my job," the eleventh division taichou drawled suddenly from behind the three.

"And some fun fighting!" Yachiru added cheerfully from where she perched on his shoulder.

"Kenpachi!" Ichigo complained, "What? Did you come to finish the job and just kill me?"

Kenpachi arched an eyebrow and grinned.

"Not a bad idea, but you know I don't finish off weaklings."

"You're crazy!" Ichigo spat, "What did you think you were doing anyway?"

"What were _you_ and this lot doing, skulking around the lower Rukongai?" Kenpachi countered, "It's a hell of a place to be if you're not looking for a fight."

"I was searching for _them_ ," Ichigo answered, indicating the two men who were supporting him, "I had just found them when you showed up and started wailing on me. We don't have time for that. We...eh...had some business down here."

"What kinda business?"

Ichigo paused, exchanging glances with the other two men.

"Well, the truth is, we think that there's a chance that Kuchiki Byakuya might be alive and down here somewhere."

Kenpachi snickered.

"Oh, that's a good one!" he laughed, "You really had me going there, Ichigo. That ramrod backed, stuffy princess in the low Rukongai? I don't think so."

"Yeah, maybe there's not much of a chance of it being true," Ichigo agreed ruefully, "but..."

Ichigo's face reflected surprise as Kenpachi's expression softened very slightly and he nodded.

"You two were really tight, weren't you?" he sighed, "You really loved each other."

Ichigo's eyes clouded and he shook his head in frustration.

"I know I loved him. I guess he loved me too, even if it wasn't enough to make him fight for us."

"Well, you know those pretty boy nobles are just about strung up by all of the rules they have to follow."

"Hey, we _are_ nobles too, you know," Ichigo complained.

"Yeah," Kenpachi affirmed, "but not a damned one of you three knows the hell it is to lead a family of bitchy traditionalists like the Kuchikis."

"Hey! Tetsuya is a Kuchiki! Watch your mouth, okay?" Ichigo snapped.

"Although he does have a point," Tetsuya admitted, "Your clan and Kurushimi-sama's are much more progressive. And even the elders of your clans would have taken issue with you wanting to marry my cousin."

"Bunch of horse shit if you ask me," Kenpachi spat, "Told prettyboy that when I caught him looking all misty-eyed after you yelled at him once for that shit. He just glared at me and fussed that I couldn't possibly understand what he was thinking. So I told him. I said, _You love him, right? If you love him, then choose him. If you don't, then stay where you are. Just piss or get off the pot. I_ felt kinda bad for saying it after he took himself out."

Kenpachi paused and gave Tetsuya a look of apology.

"Sorry."

"No offense taken," Tetsuya said calmly as Kuri glowered at Kenpachi.

"Those are some nice fighting eyes, Kuri," he chuckled, "You wanna go?"

"I think there's been enough fighting," Tetsuya said shortly, "If you will excuse us, we were looking for the town healer to undo the damage your _fun_ with Ichigo caused."

"Sure thing, toots," Kenpachi drawled, turning away.

Yachiru giggled.

"Good luck finding Byakushi, Ichigo!" she called back at him, "O-chi O-chi has a _really_ bad temper. The soldiers in his division wish Byakushi would come back. Ren-chan took a promotion to eighth division taichou, just to get away from him!"

"Yeah, I'm not so fond of Orochi either," Ichigo admitted, "We think he's behind whatever happened to Byakuya."

Kenpachi's eyes glinted.

"You want me to go and beat the truth outta the bastard?" he asked, smirking.

"Please do," Kuri said approvingly, "You want help?"

"Pfft! I don't need help from a skinny ass little twit like you."

Kuri's face reddened and he placed a hand on his sword. Ichigo stepped between the two quickly.

"Knock it off, will you? We have to go. I'm _bleeding_ here!" he complained.

"Are you injured, sir?" a youthful voice asked.

Ichigo turned and blinked as his eye fell on a little boy with large grey eyes and bright, shoulder length ginger hair that ended in black tips. He was dressed in plain , but clean clothes and carrying a small pack over his shoulder. Ichigo smiled kindly at the boy.

"A little," he admitted, showing the youth the long slashes on his arm and side, "I sort of ran into a sword. Can you tell us where we can find a healer in this town?"

"I am a healer," the boy told him.

"You?" Ichigo asked curiously, "You're kind of young, aren't you?"

"I'm ten years old," the boy said, frowning, "That's old enough to be an apprentice healer."

"All right, then," Ichigo chuckled, nodding, "Would you mind healing me, then?"

"Sure," the boy agreed, offering his hand, "I am Kisho, of Inuzuri."

"It's nice to meet you, Kisho," Ichigo said, accepting his hand and shaking it politely, "I'm Shiba Ichigo."

Kisho's eyes rounded and he inhaled sharply.

"You're the Shiba prince?" he asked, staring.

"Yeah, I'm heir to the Shiba clan. You know about us?"

"Of course," Kisho laughed, taking the pack down off of his shoulder and baring the arm that had been slashed.

He cleaned the wound, then infused it gently with healing power as Ichigo watched. The Shiba heir felt an odd clutch in his insides at the boy's touch and suffered a vivid memory.

 _"You should stay away from the barbarian," Byakuya chided him, tracing the cut Kenpachi had left on Ichigo's shoulder, then flowing healing power from his lips as he gently kissed his way along the cut._

"Are you all right, Shiba-sama?" Kisho asked, "You looked sad for a moment."

Ichigo's face flushed slightly as he realized that Tetsuya and Kuri also seemed to have noticed.

"I'm fine. I was...just remembering another time that crazy Kenpachi cut me up. He really likes doing that."

"Why?" Kisho asked, his grey eyes fixing on Ichigo and sending another twinge of familiarity through him, "He acted like you were friends...but you say he did this to you?"

"That's Zaraki Kenpachi," Ichigo sighed, "He loves to pick fights. The stronger the opponent, the better."

"My father says that people who raise their swords to fight for fun are barbarians, and that we should only raise our swords when we have something important to protect."

Ichigo found himself momentarily speechless. He thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Your dad sounds like a really smart guy. You say you live in Inuzuri?"

"My father grows and sells flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs...well, when people don't steal them before they're done growing, anyway. He has a gift for making things grow."

"And you have a gift for healing," Ichigo said approvingly.

"Sort of," Kisho said, blushing at the comment, "I am learning, although Michio-san says I have a feral reiatsu that is more suited to fighting than healing. I just don't like fighting unless I have to."

"Same here, kid," Ichigo agreed, "And I know what you mean about feral reiatsu. That's how mine is. That's why I leave the healing to people who are better at it. Tetsuya, here's pretty good at it, though."

"I would have healed him myself," Tetsuya explained, "but my powers are sealed, and we haven't been able to figure out how to safely remove it."

"Do you know how to do that, Kisho?" Ichigo asked, "Tetsuya really needs his powers."

Kisho shook his head gently, riling the pretty black tips.

"I haven't learned that yet. But if you want, I can take you to Michio-san and I'm sure he can help."

"That sounds good," Ichigo said, looking back at Tetsuya and Kuri, "Tell you what. Why don't you find Michio and tell him that if he doesn't mind giving us a hand with that seal, we'll be happy to treat you to a big dinner at the restaurant over there. What do you say?"

"W-well, there's Michio and me, and also his wife, Noa and my foster sister, Kiwa."

"Bring them along too," Ichigo answered, "It's all you can eat...on me."

Kisho grinned widely.

"Okay, but you do know that healers have to eat a whole lot when they're done healing, right?"

"You can eat all you want. One of the good things about being a noble is that we can afford to feed our healers well. Go on, kid. Bring them back and we'll eat."

"Thank you, Shiba-sama!" Kisho cried happily.

"That's Ichigo," the Shiba heir corrected him.

"Thanks, Ichigo-sama!"

Ichigo watched as the boy flash stepped away.

"Man, that kid is cute!" he mused, shaking his head, "It's just kind of sad, thinking about where he lives."

Tetsuya nodded sadly in agreement.

"As Byakuya-sama found when he lost Hisana-sama, Inuzuri is a very dark and difficult place to grow up in."


	6. Masks

**Chapter 6: Masks**

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 **(Thanks a billion to everyone reading and enjoying this story! :) My gratitude to AliciaJenHavens (Ichigo was already having strange feelings and reactions to Kisho, so I think subconsciously, he knows something is special about this boy.), Shima-Taicho31 (Yes, I borrowed a little of what you hinted at in one of your funny 'what if' fics and used it to shape Kuri's exchange with Kenpachi. It's fun seeing how he reacts to different people.), Kenni-Bun bun (So sorry to hear you've been sick! DX T-T Hope you get better fast.), Jazzybella (Aww! Many hearts right back at'cha! And I will be getting to all of thoe juicy parts very soon!), Frost2351 (And now that new chapter is ready for you!), Bloody Rose 97 (Oh, Byakuya and Ichigo are definitely on a collision course!), Hisuiryuu (Ichigo's a sweetie, but sometimes (as also happens with Renji, another big sweetie who sometimes misses things) he feel something connecting him to Kisho, but doesn't know yet what it is. Very soon, though...), Anarane-Sensei (And how like Byakuya to, even without his memory, choose a name referencing his lover's stubborn persona...Kisho 'knows his own mind' Yup, like father, like son!), Parnita (I'm so glad you are enjoying the story! And Ondori will reveal something surprising in this chapter! Ah yes, and the reason it took Ichigo ten years to track Byakuya down is also about to be explained. Quite a lot is happening!), GrimmIchisgrl (It was fun waving in how Kisho's comments and little things about him instantly reminded him of Byakuya. I like getting to go back and do little, sweet flashbacks of their relationship.), Aizenfan6969 (Kenpachi always cracks me up. He's such a badass and very rough mannered, but sometimes he shows a more perceptive side. I think that's why even though it always looks like Byakuya despises him, the two of them show up together a lot in the manga/anime. Uh-oh, now I feel like dropping over and doing some Kenny/Bya today!), Picklez80 (OMG, my cats do that to me too! Little stinkers know they scare the bajeezers out of me sometimes, especially when I'm home alone! *looks around warily, then ducks under a blanket*), Adalie Delacroix (You've got it!), Willow (The future begins NOW! I mean NOW! No, NOW...darn, I missed it. NOW!), PrivateCaller (Ichi's on his way!), Winterheart2000 (I like stories that have lots of emotion!), Periwinkle (Orochi had better not get too used to sleeping in Byakuya's room and leadig his division. Bya-baby's going to be on the warpath!), Beaker (You've got it, kiddo!) and The Youngest Gorgons (I like getting so hooked on a story, I can't stop writing! It explains why I have never tried drugs...lol) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

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Orochi ascended the front steps of the Kuchiki council hall, glancing over his shoulder as he reached the top and glaring at the attendant who trailed a bit behind him on the steps.

"Hurry up, will you, you little roach!" he snapped impatiently, "You're as annoying as that filthy little half-blood former master of yours, Koji. Your blood may be pure, but it clearly comes from the dregs of the barrel, doesn't it?"

Koji bristled inwardly at the insult and limped forward.

"S-sorry, Orochi-sama," he said stiffly, "I still have some pain in my back and legs from earlier. It's making it hard to climb the steps."

Orochi glowered at his cousin.

"Well, then maybe the next time you are given a task, you will complete it, won't you? Then, you won't be beaten for your incompetence."

"I looked for Tetsuya-san," Koji half-sobbed, reaching the top of the stairs and working to catch his breath as his cousin glowered at him, but waited grudgingly, "He has no reiatsu flow with his powers sealed away. It was impossible to find him."

"I don't want excuses," Orochi said coldly, "I want results. When this meeting is over, you will leave with me for the low Rukongai. We are going to find him."

"B-but what if he was k-killed going over the falls?" Koji worried.

"He should have washed ashore and we should have found him," Orochi concluded, "That little blue-eyed harlot is going to pay for running away from me. I warned him about what I'd do to him."

Orochi moved closer and brought his lips to Koji's ear and the attendant's eyes widened in distress.

"And just so you know, if we do not find Tetsuya, then you will be replacing him in my bed, Koji...and you know very well what my likings are, having witnessed our lovemaking."

 _It wasn't lovemaking at all, but bondage and sexual torture._

"And don't you think you'll escape and go running off to _him_. I'm not letting you out of my sight until he's back in my bed or we find his cold, dead body. Do you understand?"

Koji shivered inwardly, but he forced himself not to react, and merely nodded silently to show he had heard. Orochi grabbed him roughly by the arm and dragged him towards the building's entrance.

"Come on. We have a meeting to get to."

The two passed through the lobby and entered the marble floored grand meeting chamber, where many of the Kuchiki elders were already assembled. Orochi moved to the head of the table and sat down, while Koji backed away slightly, so that he stood in the shadows, near Orochi, but not in plain sight. Head Councilor Nori watched until the last of the elders arrived, then nodded to the group's secretary, who brought the meeting to order.

"The first item on the agenda is a report from Kuchiki Sora, who has been assigned to monitor developments regarding the petition to lower the status of the mixed bloods in our families. Councilor Sora, what have you to report?" Nori asked.

Sora, a tall, thin man with narrowed brown eyes and angular features stood and cleared his throat.

"The petition is receiving quite a lot of votes to support it, but as of yet, it does not have enough to pass. The committee overseeing the discussion has suggested we leave the matter to the individual clans, but that all clans must then submit documentation showing the accepted status of mixed bloods in their clan, so that there are no misunderstandings between families. We will need to take a vote."

"All in favor?" Nori inquired.

He paused and noted the responses.

"Opposed?"

He nodded.

"Councilor Sora, you will inform the committee that our clan will vote in favor of such an amendment."

"Hai."

"The next item is a report of complaints from the Otera and Sakuma families about treatment of their couriers sent to make contact with us."

Orochi gave Nori an icy glare.

"The couriers need to show proper respect for a clan that is their superior," he said coldly, "Failure to show proper respect is an insult to us and will not be tolerated. I don't think there needs to be a discussion of that."

"But that brings us to another necessary discussion," Nori said calmly, "We need to come to some understandings that will ensure we are presenting the best image for our clan. As a great clan, the expectations are high."

"I am aware," Orochi answered, "So, tell me, in what way are those expectations not being met? I lead the sixth division with an iron fist. No one questions the abilities of my men, because if there is any question about a soldier's fitness, he is transferred. And as far is my duties as leader, I go to the events I am expected to attend, conduct the expected meetings and hold high standards for the conduct of everyone who represents us."

"We do see that," Nori went on, "But at issue are some treatments of attendants and servants, for example, Kuchiki Tetsuya."

"Tetsuya is officially my concubine," Orochi said sternly, "He is my property and a house servant, and he dresses and conducts himself accordingly...most of the time. When he disobeys me or acts out, as he has by running away, I punish him accordingly."

"Yes," agreed Councilor Arisu, a very elderly woman with stately green eyes and a calm demeanor, "I think it is your punishments that are of concern. "Some of what we have heard about sound as barbaric as the punishments in the illegal noble's prisons of the past. And we can all agree that the ones who ran the prisons went too far in their bad treatment of the mixed bloods. We have heard as well that you are mistreating some pureblood sons in the same way."

"Let me make this clear to you all," Orochi said, glaring at the gathered councilors, "I apply the amount of force necessary to send the exact message the failing servant needs. I assure you, if I am not high in my expectations for obedience, these servants will take advantage, and we will be a laughingstock. I don't think any of you want that."

"Orochi," Nori addressed the leader, "the other issue regarding your house servants is in regards to Kuchiki Tetsuya being designated your concubine. We are curious. Does this mean that you are intending to impregnate him? Will he bear your heirs? Given your attempts to order that mixed bloods should be denied rights to marry and procreate, isn't that not going to work?"

"It doesn't need to," Orochi said shortly, "I will be frank. This is a private matter and is no one's business. Still, I will be honest with you. Tetsuya will never bear me a child. If he becomes pregnant, it will be aborted. I will make a pureblood heir as soon as I find a proper mate. Tetsuya is simply a sexual servant. He doesn't need to be more. And really, I don't know why you want to question his fate. You should remember, Byakuya would still be alive, except for Tetsuya's incompetence. He is..."

Orochi broke off, frowning and staring at the surprised ripple that went through the room as a familiar reiatsu resonated weakly for a moment, then faded away again.

Behind Orochi, Koji stepped forward, his green eyes showing new signs of life. As the councilors pondered the meaning of the sudden resonation, he gave a little sob of triumph.

"Byakuya-sama!" he cried, "He is _alive_!"

"It seems to have emanated from somewhere in the lower districts of the Rukongai," Nori said, his aged face reflecting wonder and renewed hope.

"So it has," Orochi said darkly, "Then, if our former leader is truly alive, I will make it my mission to find him"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Oh man, I am stuffed!" Ichigo sighed, pushing back from the large oak table.

He looked on with slightly saddened eyes as Kisho and Kiwa enthusiastically shared bites of several desserts that had been set between them. Michio noted his melancholy and gave him a bracing smile.

"You have made them very happy, Ichigo-sama," he commented, "It is good for them to be spoiled a little sometimes."

"Well," Ichigo answered, watching the children and thinking of himself and his sisters sharing similar moments, "I really appreciate Kisho healing me, and you getting rid of that seal on Tetsuya's powers. That was one nasty enchantment on that collar."

"You are welcome. And thank you for treating us to such an enjoyable evening. I hope we can repay you somehow."

"You don't need to repay me," Ichigo chuckled, "I was saying thank you for what you did for me."

"Still, this is...excessive for such a small amount of healing," Michio insisted.

"Maybe they could all come to the solstice party next week," Kisho suggested, "It is being held in our home district of Inuzuri. Everyone from the town goes. There is a lot of free food, games, music and dancing! It's a lot of fun."

"I don't know," Ichigo said, looking at the others for a moment, "We're actually looking for someone. A...a friend of ours who is missing. We have to look for him. But I'll tell you what. If we can, we'll come and see you, okay?"

"Okay," said Kisho, turning his attention back to his dessert.

Beside Ichigo, Kuri watched out of the corner of one turquoise eye as Tetsuya savored the last bites a huge hot fudge sundae.

"I see your appetite is returning, Tetsu-hana," he commented, giving him a little amused smirk, "It must be good to feel the hunger brought on by the strength in your reiatsu."

"I was barely allowed anything to eat," Tetsuya explained, "because Orochi said I didn't have the reiatsu of a gnat and he didn't want me getting fat and any more unattractive."

" _Cabròn..._ " Kuri muttered under his breath, making Tetsuya's head tilt questioningly.

Kuri let out a dismissive breath.

"Forgive my bad language," he apologized, "But people like him are not men, Tetsu-hana. There are dogs. Except that's an insult to dogs. I'd say pigs, but I've known nicer pigs. Men like Orochi are like the hollow vamps, deep in the bowels of Hueco Mundo. They are eerily beautiful, but they are really nothing but evil, foul, soul-sucking vermin. Eh...but then, that's insulting rats."

He smiled as a soft laugh escaped his lovely friend. Kuri picked up a napkin and used it to wipe a bit of fudge from Tetsuya's soft, pink lips.

"I've never heard you laugh before and I've barely seen you smile. But maybe that's a good thing since every time I see you smile, I think also of seeing you naked like before."

Tetsuya caught his breath softly and averted his eyes, blushing. He froze as Kuri's hand slipped under his chin and lifted it so their eyes met again.

"I don't mean to embarrass you," he went on, "There are just some things I can't hold back. One time, a long time ago, I was walking in the Rukongai and I was stricken with a feeling like this. I was engaged at the time to your other wicked cousin, Kuchiki Sasune."

"I remember," Tetsuya said, nodding.

"Then, you remember that I left him to marry a very beautiful commoner I found that day while walking in the Rukongai."

"That was your Hideaki," Tetsuya surmised, calming slightly.

"Yes. It was love at first sight, Tetsu-hana, and if he had not died with our child inside him, I would still be loving him faithfully. But you know something about that, don't you. You also lost someone you loved."

Tetsuya paused, then nodded in agreement.

"Naoki was my cellmate in Itamigiri. Orochi had me placed with him because he could teach me how to avoid getting into trouble with the guards and had a little healing power, so he could take care of me after I was with Orochi. We weren't in love at first, but Naoki made love to me the night of my coming of age, so that when I was sexually assaulted in an initiation by the guards the next morning, I would know the difference between sexual domination and love. We fell in love after that, and one day, while the guards were looking the other way, we slipped into a corner of the gardens and had a secret marriage ceremony. We weren't allowed to be married. After Naoki died, protecting me as we were rescued by Byakuya-sama, Byakuya-sama officially entered our marriage into the clan records and had Naoki buried at Kuchiki Manor."

Tetsuya paused again and a tormented look came into his eyes.

"Now, Orochi wants to be sure that mixed bloods like me can't ever be married or have children of our own."

"Oh," said Kuri, smiling and slipping a hand into Tetsuya's, "I don't think that is going to be your fate."

"Is that right?" Tetsuya mused.

Kuri's other hand curved around Tetsuya's soft cheek, making it flush more deeply.

"I think you will be married and you will fill your husband's home with mountains of beautiful babies, Tetsu-hana."

"Hmm," Tetsuya said, arching a fine eyebrow skeptically, "I think you've had too much to drink."

"Maybe," Kuri agreed, "but then, there is just one thing to do."

He curled an arm around Tetsuya and brought him to his feet, then led him to the dance floor.

"I think Kuri-kuri-sama really likes Tetsuya-san!" Kisho exlaimed, taking Kiwa's hand and dragging her onto the dance floor.

Ichigo watched from the table as Kuri's arms wrapped around Tetsuya and the two began to move together. His mind drifted back to another time, long before.

 _"Do you like to dance, Byakuya?" he asked, sliding his arms around the Kuchiki leader from behind, as they stood on the cliff above the waterfall and river, looking up into the night sky and enjoying the cool brightness of the full moon._

 _"To dance?" Byakuya repeated softly, "You mean, like ballroom dancing? I suppose. I do enjoy music, and dancing goes well with that."_

 _"I meant, do you like more casual dancing? Have you ever been to a dance club?" Ichigo persisted._

 _"I am not partial to painfully loud music, although I do like lively music, and I also enjoy music like what we're hearing right now."_

 _"Huh?" Ichigo said, giving him a confused look._

 _Byakuya turned in his arms and stood in a proper partner's dance position. He reached over and brushed Ichigo's eyes closed, then moved in close, coaxing his lover into wrapping his arms around him._

 _"Listen," Byakuya whispered into his ear, "The breeze, the moving branches, the cicadas and the birds. Wild things making little sounds as they walk in the forest, the rushing of water, our own heartbeats...the inhale and exhale of our breaths. It's music too, Ichigo, and we can dance to that...can't we?"_

 _He wasn't sure when they had started to move, only that once he heard the words, all of those thing did sound like music to him. They had a cadence and a resonance that he and Byakuya moved in time with. He opened his eyes and found that they had danced out over the cliff and were dancing on thin air over the moonlit lake at the head of the river, using their reiatsu to keep them from falling. He found himself enchanted by the reflection of the moon in Byakuya's grey eyes, and he surrendered easily to the sudden urge to kiss him._

 _A moment later, Byakuya made a sound of surprise and annoyance as the two began to fall._

 _"Fool, you made us lose our focus!" the Kuchiki leader scolded him._

 _They splashed down into the icy water, and Ichigo came to the surface laughing as he took hold of Byakuya's slender hand._

 _"Sorry, I can't help it," he apologized, "I just never imagined something so beautiful as dancing with you like that. I love you, Byakuya."_

 _"I love you too, you fool."_

Ichigo took a breath, his heart pounding as he seemed to see his friends dancing in slow motion in front of him. He felt as though Byakuya's hand had reached out like it had so many times before and run softly down his face. His breath caught and a look of realization came over his handsome features.

"Are you all right?" Michio asked, touching his arm.

Ichigo came to his feet and ran to Kuri and Tetsuya, who paused in their dancing and stared at him. A moment later, Tetsuya's eyes rounded.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Ichigo said excitedly.

"We haven't felt it, not even once since he disappeared," Tetsuya managed in a stunned voice, "That's why you could never find him when you searched for him before, Ichigo-sama! This is Byakuya-sama's reiatsu resonating. My cousin is alive!"

On the other side of the dance floor, Kisho froze, his grey eyes blinking, then he looked around in confusion, as though expecting to see someone. Kiwa smiled up at him.

"What's wrong? Why did you stop dancing?"

Kisho frowned.

"For a moment, it felt like my dad was in the room."

He and Kiwa looked on in surprise as Ichigo and his friends said a hasty goodbye and flash stepped away. They walked back to Michio, who smiled sleepily.

"They had to go to continue looking for their friend," the healer explained, "I think they received a clue to where he might be."

"We should be getting back to the cart," Noa yawned, "We'll be starting on our way home tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXX

Bya felt life coming back into his body and he took a deeper breath, then loosed it again, trying at the same time to open his eyes. They opened slowly and he blinked to bring the room he was in into focus. He felt a flicker of confusion in picking up the scents of freshly cut wood and recently applied paint. He blinked several more times and sat up in the unfamiliar, but very comfortable bed he laid in. Belatedly, he realized someone had been sitting next to the bed, and turned his head to find a jade-eyed man looking at him.

"Ondori?" he inquired, frowning curiously, "But why are you disguised? And where are we?"

"Shh," Ondori shushed him, smiling conspiratorially, While we are here, call me Akira."

"But why? Why are you dressed in such plain clothes and that wig? I don't understand!"

"All right, honey. Take it easy. I will explain. First, you are lying in bed in your own home that you were having built. I greased a few palms and got the workers to do double-time and they got it finished so that you can surprise your boy when he comes home. I disguised myself because I knew you didn't want Kisho to know you'd been working for me, and I needed to stay here and take care of you."

"But, I wasn't finished working to pay for the building of the school," Bya said anxiously.

"Sugar, you've done enough," Ondori said, shaking his head firmly, "You need to know when enough is enough. I never should have let you turn that first trick, because that's not where you belong. Just understand, I didn't know how else to help you keep yourself and your boy alive!"

"Ondori..."

" _Akira_!"

"Akira, I can't let you do this," Bya began.

"Yes, you can," Ondori said firmly, "And you will. You see, you never owed me a thing, Bya, never. I was the one who owed you."

"I don't understand. What are you talking about? All I have ever been is a burden to you!" Bya argued.

"That's not true," the brothel owner insisted.

"You saved my life," Bya remembered, "And by saving me, you saved Kisho, whom I was carrying at the time."

"Yes," Ondori agreed, "But way before that, you saved me...and you saved my cousin and got her out of Inuzuri for me. You don't remember, because your injuries were too bad, and when you woke after, you remembered nothing. I would have told you before, but when you were lying there, half-dead, you told me that it wasn't safe for you to go back. Bya, you told me that someone tried to kill you...someone too powerful for me to protect you from. The only answer was for you to appear to die and to conceal yourself here and build a new life. I did what you asked, even when you woke the next day and couldn't remember having asked it...couldn't remember anything at all. I gave you that new start, yes, but it was because _I_ owed _you_. The problem is, your powers that were lost back then have started to come back. I sealed your reiatsu, so it only resonated for a short time, but..."

"But it could lead whoever tried to kill me in this direction," Bya concluded.

"I sealed your reiatsu again quickly, so they can't follow it now, but you are going to have to keep a low profile from now on, and I think you have to remember who you are."

"But if my memory was lost, then how can I...?"

Ondori took his hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Tell me if you know this name... _Kuchiki Byakuya_."


	7. What's in a Name

**Chapter 7: What is in a Name**

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 **(Thanks going out to Bloody Rose-97 (That reunion is coming soon!), Adalie Delacroix (I think Kuri's been too distracted, going after Tetsuya to know what's going on at home. But even if the Shima clan opts to leave the decision to individual clans, I think the Shima elders won't be forcing him to treat mixed bloods any way he doesn't choose. It might cause an internal house war, though. And that wouldn't be good! Ichigo, Byakuya and Orochi are on a collision course and headed right at each other. We'll see what happens when they hit and the dust clears.), Anarane-Sensei (Koji is a pretty smart cookie. Attendants are servants of the house, but they have strong powers and a lot of intelligence that makes them useful for protection and spying for their masters. Koji was smart to stay with Orochi, so that he could keep tabs on his movements and he'll be able to provide information to Tetsuya or Ichigo if they need it.), Hisuiryuu (There will be more about Ondori's connection to Byakuya, now that Bya is beginning to remember.), Blacky2010 (Thanks so very much! I am so glad you are enjoying the story. :) I'm having a lot of fun writing it, and will keep the chapters rolling out. I'm trying to finish two today!), Kenni-bun bun (Yes, the stars are aligning, but there could be a starburst or supernova threatening!), AliciaJenHavens (I do have a little sadistic tendency here or there, but being a merciful type, I will be sure to keep the chapters frequent and delightfully savory!), GrimmIchisgrl (Ah, but in true Spunk fashion, I loaded the deck here. Kisho was across the room from Ichigo, so neither witnessed the other's reaction to Bya's reiatsu swelling up like it did. Kisho just heard from Michio that the three had 'received some kind of clue' about their friend, and Kisho was still distracted. No realization yet, but it's coming!), Parnita (If you liked that, this next chapter gave me real chills!), Jazzybella (I will be hammering them out probably faster because it's in the thick of things and my muse likes to run forward when I get to the real meat of the story. I have to work for the next four days after today, but I will be writing on my breaks and before and after work, so I should keep a good pace!), Shima-Taicho31 (Oh my, better batten down the hatches and keep some tissues handy. I was a little messy after writing this chapter. Fair warning...), RedCrow (Sorry about that! Dratted muse likes to shut off the flow sometimes at the darnedest times, then stands there, smiling and saying 'NOPE!') and Frost2351 (I will make sure that the cliffies are always followed with worthy story advancement...and I will kick my muse, just for you!) Love you all, Spunky)**

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 _Tell me if you know this name...Kuchiki Byakuya._

Bya looked back at Ondori silently for a moment, considering.

"That name means nothing to me," he answered softly.

Ondori's head tilted slightly and he squeezed Bya's hands bracingly.

"It must mean _something_ to you, even if it means you despise it. You must feel something when you hear it. Bya, that is _your_ name!"

Bya's frown deepened and he looked out the window that gave him a view of the school and gardens, still being constructed in the little glen.

"That just isn't possible," he concluded, "I don't even have any powers. You know I don't."

"I know you _did_ , Byakuya," Ordoni insisted, curving a palm around his face, "Because, the truth is that we first met over fifty-five years ago, when you were a young officer of the Gotei."

"You may have met someone," Bya said calmly, "but that someone wasn't me. And Kuchiki Byakuya is dead. It is known to everyone here that he died by his own hand."

"Yes, that is what they say," Ordoni agreed, patting his face gently, "but it isn't true."

"How can that be?" Bya asked, looking confused, "If everyone knows, then why wouldn't I have been recognized?"

"Because no one would be expecting to see you here. It would be easy, wouldn't it, to dirty up a lovely man's face, to dress him in rags and give him a look like everyone else? The most Rukongai folk ever get are glimpses of the princes and princesses of the Seireitei. Very few meet them close up. That is why you've been able to live here for ten years without being recognized. But Bya, when that hollow attacked you, your spirit centers reacted to the inflow of its power, and you began to flow reiatsu again. The only reason you aren't right now is because I sealed your powers away. I did this to keep you hidden...but not, as you asked ten years ago. You see, ten years ago, you would have constituted no threat to whoever tried to kill you. If that person has felt your power, he or she could come here and try to hurt you. You have to know the truth now, and you have try to regain your powers."

"I understand why you think so," Bya responded quietly, "but I must ask you, how do you know that the person who fell into the river and whom you found, was really Kuchiki Byakuya? You said, yourself, that most Rukongai folk never see them up close, didn't you?"

"That is true," Ordoni affirmed, "but I also told you that I knew you because you saved my cousin and you saved me. I think if I explain about that, you'll see I couldn't possibly have been mistaken when I pulled you out of the river and recognized you."

Bya let his eyes run around the white, freshly painted room and out across the hallway, into the room that had been built for his son.

 _My dreams have barely begun to materialize, but now this..._

He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Go on."

(fifty-seven years before)

 _"Hisana-chan, you are shivering," Akira noticed, his pretty, jade colored eyes fixing on his cousin in the darkness of the dank little storehouse they had taken shelter in, "Here, let's get closer and keep each other warm."_

 _He brushed a wild swirl of raven colored hair out of his eyes, stealing a glance at his thin, delicate looking body._

 _"Not that I could keep anyone warm with this," he laughed, "but we'll do what we can, ne?"_

 _He cuddled up close to his cousin and laid his head on her shoulder, wrapping his body around hers protectively. He smiled at her, but his smile faded quickly as he noticed the tears on the young woman's cheeks._

 _"Watashi no itoko!" he exclaimed, trying to brush them away, helplessly watching as more formed in her violet eyes, "Hisana-chan, please don't! Don't do this to yourself."_

 _"I deserve it, don't you think?" Hisana said, sniffing and wiping her eyes, "I left her..."_

 _"But that was before we found each other."_

 _"If I'd just waited a few more days!" Hisana sobbed, "I abandoned her, Akira-kun! I left her without anyone to take care of her! How can you even look at me and not hate me, Akira-kun?"_

 _"Shh," Akira consoled her, "It's all right."_

 _"How can you say that?" Hisana pondered, staring at Akira's dirty face and ragged, wild hair, "You were abandoned by your mother, Akira-kun. You said you hated her for leaving you alone."_

 _"Well, I was just scared and mad," Akira explained, reaching up to scratch the back of his thin neck, "I didn't mean it. If she came back, I would run to her and I would put my arms around her. I wouldn't say anything mean. I would tell her that I love her. That's what Rukia-chan would say to you if she could see you right now."_

 _"Sh-she's still so little. And who knows what someone may have done with her!"_

 _"Shh, don't think about that right now. We have to try to sleep. And in the morning, I will go and get some food for us."_

 _He smiled sadly as the words made Hisana deflate even more. Sighing knowingly, he cuddled close to her and hummed in her ear to help her fall asleep. He waited until she was deeply asleep, then touched her face gently, setting a sleep kido on her to keep her from waking._

 _"I will be back," he promised, "Just stay here and sleep, Hisana-chan. Some soldiers came into town and they like company, and are willing to pay for it. You wouldn't let me go if you knew, so this is how it must be. Don't worry, I won't leave you!"_

 _He slipped out into the darkness, creeping carefully through the brush to avoid being seen as he made his way to the shinigami camp at the edge of town. He heard the loud voices and it made his heart flicker for a moment with fear. But he remembered his cousin back in the storeroom and forced himself to move closer._

 _He followed the more slurred voices to the back of the camp, listening as they laughed and talked, argued and sneered._

 _"You bastards had better make sure Kuchiki fukutaicho doesn't catch you being drunk on duty."_

 _"Get out of here. He's not due back until tomorrow," one snapped back, "Go and find a girl to bed down with and leave us to our refreshments."_

 _"I do wish there was some company for us," another man grumbled._

 _His heart pounding, Akira slipped out of the brush and walked into their midst._

 _"What are you?" one of the men sneered, glaring at him, "Gutter rat! Get out of here."_

 _"Now, now Jiro," a more youthful, smoother voice scolded, "He looks hungry."_

 _Akira felt a shaft of fear stab his heart as he met the lovely young man's deep black eyes._

 _"You have charming eyes," the youth complimented him, "Did you come to offer us company? What is your name?"_

 _"I am Akira. And...if you will help me to stay alive by providing something in payment, I will serve you for the night."_

 _The black-eyed soldier smiled, but it was a gesture without any warmth._

 _"I am Kuchiki Orochi," he introduced himself._

 _"You are a noble?" Akira mused, admiring him, despite the feeling of warning that nagged at him, "Oh...I am sorry to have insulted you with my offer, sir. I will...go."_

 _He turned and started to leave, but was stopped as a strong arm curled around his waist and the young man's voice purred warningly in his ear._

 _"Where do you think you are going? Are you always so rude? Turning your back on a noble prince?"_

 _Akira's heart pounded in his throat._

 _"S-sorry!" he cried, his teeth chattering, "I d-didn't mean to offend you!"_

 _"It's fine," Orochi said, his voice losing the anger, but taking on a more chilling note as it seemed to lose all emotion, "You made me an offer and I accept. You are mine for the night, ne?"_

 _Akira tried to make his lips move, but found his body frozen. Orochi shoved him down onto his knees and positioned himself in front of the youth, baring his ample nether region._

 _"My first order for you," Orochi said, smiling wickedly, "Pleasure me."_

 _Akira stared up at him, wide-eyed, all too aware that the other men were watching with predatory eyes._

 _"I-in front of th-them?" Akira managed, quivering at the laughter that sounded all around him._

 _"Of course," Orochi said, his voice taking on mock kindness, "You offered to be mine for the night and I am going to see you are paid. So...pleasure me in front of these men...first."_

 _Akira closed his eyes against the sheer terror he felt at the thought, but managed a nod and started to obey. Before he could latch on, Orochi's hand came down on his shoulder, halting him inches away._

 _"Undress."_

 _Tears leaked onto Akira's face, but he kept his sobs silent and quietly obeyed. His ragged yukata on the ground around his knees, he began the ordered stimulation, closing his eyes and making the song he had been humming to Hisana fill his frightened mind to calm him. The men around them laughed and jeered._

 _"He's got a nice mouth on him for such a scrawny thing," one teased._

 _"Don't choke him to death. I want to do him too."_

 _"Be nice," Orochi said in that smooth voice, "He's really quite skilled. I think I may take him to bed with me for the night."_

 _"That's not sporting," another man complained, "You can't dangle that sweetness in front of us and not share."_

 _"Mmmm," Orochi sighed, running his fingers through Akira's hair and holding him in place as he neared climax, "We'll see."_

 _"Akira!" a woman's voice screamed, "Akira, no!"_

 _Akira's eyes rounded and he tried to pull away, but Orochi's fingers twisted in his hair, holding him still as two men grabbed Hisana and dragged her into the center of the circle they had formed around Akira and Orochi. Orochi turned his black eyes on the young woman, keeping himself and Akira joined as he spoke to her._

 _"You are...?" he asked._

 _"Hisana," the girl managed, staring at Akira's kneeling form, "I am Akira's cousin. Please, just let us go."_

 _Orochi gave her an innocent look._

 _"But...he sold himself to me for the night," he said silkenly, "Am I to get nothing for my trouble?"_

 _Hisana shivered, but stiffened her back and glared at the man bravely._

 _"I will serve you instead," she offered, "Let him go and give him food, and I will serve you."_

 _Orochi considered for a moment, still holding Akira in place. Then, his smile grew more wicked._

 _"How about this?" he offered, "I will take your cousin and he will only have to serve me, but you will serve my men tonight!"_

 _He didn't hesitate, but nodded to the others, who grabbed Hisana and dragged her down into the dirt, tearing at her clothes._

 _"HISANA-CHAN!" Akira howled, tearing free of Orochi and running madly to reach her as the men began their abuse, "No! Stop! Leave her alone, please! You...you'll kill her!"_

 _"Come back here, little tramp!" Orochi scolded him, "You haven't satisfied me yet!"_

 _"No! Stop! Get off her!" Akira wailed, tears running in streams down his face as Orochi grabbed him and held him back, "Stop it, you bastards!"_

 _"Mind your tongue!" Orochi snapped, striking him hard across the face, leaving him collapsed in the dirt, "Useless piece of trash!"_

 _He aimed a kick at Akira, but made a sound of surprise as the Rukon boy grabbed his foot and pulled him off balance. In a heartbeat, Akira grabbed the knife at the young officer's hip and tore away, headed for the men hovering over Hisana's struggling form._

 _"Damn you, leave her...!"_

 _Akira yelped in pain and horror as something struck him from behind and he collapsed again. The knife was torn out of his hands and driven through his shoulder, making him scream louder._

 _"You dare to put your hands on me?" Orochi hissed, "Now, you can watch what they do to her, and then I'll run that knife through your little peasant heart for good measure!"_

 _"Hisana-san!" Akira sobbed._

 _A sudden swell of reiatsu swept through the camp, sending a hiss of warning through the men. They let Hisana's body fall to the ground, and scattered as another tall young man with looks similar to Orochi's approached, Orochi yanked his knife from Akira's shoulder and turned to face his cousin._

 _"What is the meaning of this?" Byakuya demanded, his grey eyes flashing, "What happened here?"_

 _"These two entered our camp, offering services to the men."_

 _"You know Kuchiki Taicho does not allow that kind of behavior in..."_

 _"But you also know it happens anyway," Orochi said matter-of-factly, "It's how a lot of them earn their living, cousin. It is a fact of life."_

 _"How was this boy injured?" Byakuya persisted, "I am sure he did not offer himself to be impaled by your blade."_

 _"He said he would serve me," Orochi said evenly, "and he grabbed the knife and tried to stick me with it."_

 _"N-no!" Akira sobbed, "I didn't...I..."_

 _"Shut up!" Orochi hissed, "He attacked me, so I stabbed him. The girl went crazy and the men were holding her down. Some of them may have been riled by everything and acted more forcefully, but they did offer themselves for sex. Both of them."_

 _"They may have offered themselves for sex, but they didn't deserve this," Byakuya said sternly._

 _"Oh, get down off your high horse, cousin!" Orochi snapped, turning his back, "They're just peasants. They are little more than vermin."_

 _"They are living souls," Byakuya said, bending over Akira and lifting him gently, "Be still now. You are safe."_

 _Akira stared up at the beautiful young officer through teary, grateful eyes._

 _"Th-thank you," he whispered._

 _"I told you to be still," Byakuya said quietly, "I will see that you and your cousin are healed. You will be all right."_

 _"I didn't attack him," Akira said in a shaky voice, "I only took the knife from him and I was trying to help Hisana-chan. Th-they were hurting her."_

 _"Torio," Byakuya said, glancing over his shoulder, "Bring the girl."_

 _Byakuya carried Akira into his tent and laid him on a comfortable mat. He leaned over the youth, quickly cleaning and dressing his wound, then infusing his thin body with healing power. Akira gazed up at Byakuya's comely face, his vision dimming as his injury and the loss of blood began to overcome him._

 _"K-kuchiki-sama, please," he pleaded, "I know I am dying."_

 _"You are going to be all right."_

 _"You don't have to l-lie to me," Akira said bravely, "I can feel it. J-just please..."_

 _"Lie still," Byakuya chided him, "I am sorry for the injury my men caused you and your cousin. I will see to your healing and I will make sure that you are taken care of."_

 _Akira shook his head._

 _"If you want to help me, p-promise to get Hisana-chan out of here. I'm strong enough to survive, but she isn't. She's going to die if she stays here. Please, I beg you, take her with you when you leave and never, ever let her come back!"_

 _Byakuya looked over his shoulder at the unconscious woman under Torio's care._

 _"How is she?" he asked._

 _"Stable," the attendant reported, "She will be all right, but they were very rough with her."_

 _"Please, Kuchiki-sama," Akira said weakly, his eyes glazing over, "take Hisana-chan away from here."_

 _Byakuya watched silently as the boy lost consciousness, then he sighed softly and wrapped him warmly in blankets. His fingers smoothed a bit of the youth's wavy hair that had trickled onto his face._

 _"Don't worry," he said solemnly, "I feel responsible because these soldiers are under my command, and they shouldn't have done this to you. I will take both of you back with me. Just rest for now."_

 _He left Akira's side and exited the tent, heading for Orochi's. Akira opened an eye and watched him leave, then waited as Torio finished treating Hisana and left the tent to take out the leftover trash. He moved to his cousin's side, holding a hand over his bandaged shoulder as he bent and kissed Hisana on the cheek._

 _"Goodbye, watashi no itoko. And don't worry. I will be fine, I promise. Stay with Kuchiki-sama. He will protect you better than I ever could. You are going to have a better life than this. You never should have been sent to Inuzuri. You don't belong here."_

 _He heard footsteps approaching and scrambled towards the entrance to the tent, slipping outside and melting into the brush as Torio returned out of the darkness. He smiled as the attendant entered the tent and made a sound of surprise. On silent feet, Akira disappeared into the night._

 _"Thank you, Kuchiki-sama," he whispered as he ran, "Someday if our paths cross again, "I will repay you for taking care of her!"_

"I didn't expect that you would marry Hisana-chan, yourself," Ondori chuckled, "You took your obligation very seriously, Byakuya-sama."

"You shouldn't call me that," Bya chided him.

"Why not? That's who you are, love. I very much apologize for letting you prostitute yourself, but at the time, I wasn't as well off as I am now. I really didn't know another way."

"How do you even know that I am the person you're talking about? You haven't explained that."

Ondori nodded and rose, leaving the room for a moment, then returning, carrying the blue handled blade that had been on the sword rack in the kitchen. He set the blade in Bya's hands, looking down at it as he continued.

"This is the sword that you were carrying the night you saved Hisana-chan and me. And it appeared in the room where you were recovering, while you were unconscious after I found you in the river. I tried to tell you when you woke, but you said you didn't remember the sword, and that if you had said you needed to start over, then we had to forget it. I insisted you should keep the sword for protection, but after I found you and your powers were lost, it never spoke to you. Still, you have power returning to you now. Even if your reiatsu is sealed, you can talk to your sword. I want you to try to speak to it. Maybe it will help you remember."

"And what if I accept who I once was on your word, but I don't want to remember?" asked Bya.

"Byakuya-sama," Ordoni said sadly, "You weren't yourself for all of these years you've been here with me. You have been a dear friend and someone I've grown to love like my own family, but you can't hide from this. Whoever tried to kill you may come here looking for you."

"You sealed my reiatsu," Bya reminded him, "Whoever it is won't be able to follow it here. And if they do come here, we can conceal ourselves. There is no need to panic, and if we do, we will only make ourselves more obvious."

He handed the sword back to Ondori.

"Please put it away."

Ondori gazed at him in silence for several long moments, then sighed softly in resignation.

"For now," he capitulated, "just while you recover. But when you are well, you must do this, Byakuya-sama."

"Please...don't call me that. It feels...wrong," Bya pleaded, turning away to look out the window, "Whatever and whoever I was before, this is my life now. I could never be a noble prince after doing what I've done."

"Oh Bya-chan," Ondori whispered, tears rising in his eyes, "you've never once stopped being a prince...to me."


	8. Homecoming

**Chapter 8: Homecoming**

 **(Reviews are still coming in on Chapter 7, so I will catch up on shout outs next chapter. You guys are the sweetest! And Spunky promises, Bya and Ichigo will be meeting face to face soon!)**

Kisho smiled as he and Kiwa walked ahead of the slow moving cart, entering the East 78th's District, called Inuzuri.

"The house we have is pretty small and it gets cold," Kisho explained, "but with the extra blankets that we were given for helping Michio-san, we will be warmer. And the extra food and money means there will be enough for bread and fresh soup for all of us for at least the next month!"

"Mama used to make her own bread sometimes," Kiwa said, looking up at Kisho as they passed the rows of poorly kept buildings and milling peasants, "We had fruit from our trees."

"Michio-san had me harvest some fruit from your family's trees," Kisho said kindly, "We can have that to eat, and we can use seeds from those fruits to grow trees on our land that will be like the ones you remember."

"Kisho-kun, are you sure your papa will let me stay for a while?" Kiwa asked uncertainly.

"Michio-san sent a message ahead of us," Kisho answered, squeezing her hand, "Dad knows you're coming. He's really nice to kids. He'll let you stay, at least until we find you a family."

"I wish I could be your family," Kiwa said, sniffing, "I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid," Kisho said reassuringly, "My father told me that when things change, it's not always a bad thing. Some things that change are bad things, like when someone we love dies or we lose something. But then, there's often something good that comes after too."

"I met you while Mama, Papa and Cho were dying," Kiwa said, her hand tightening on his, "Meeting you is a good thing."

"I think so too," Kisho agreed, smiling as they moved through the town square and started towards the far end of town, "There are a lot of scary and horrible things around here...hollows and bad people. But there are good people too. I'll teach you who you can trust and who you have to watch out for. And I'll teach you how to fight so that you can stand up for yourself, Kiwa-chan."

"But I'm not strong like you, Kisho-kun," the girl complained, "I'm little."

"Being little doesn't make you weak," Kisho chided her gently, "It just means that you have to make up for being smaller by being smarter."

"Did your dad teach you that too?" Kiwa asked.

"Yeah. He's pretty smart. He had to be, living here. I'm worried about him, though. He was sick before we left. He was better, but he still looked like he didn't feel so well."

"Oh, Kisho-kun, I'm sorry," Kiwa said, rubbing her eyes and moving closer to him as they walked, "I'm sure he'll be okay."

"Our house is in the little glen, just past the last row of buildings, there ahead of us," Kisho said, pointing out the dilapidated buildings, "We took over the little shack there and we grow some fruits and vegetables...herbs, things like that. Sometimes thieves come and steal some of it, so we don't have a lot. But Dad wants to..."

Kisho froze as they turned into the glen and spotted the plain, but newly built house, new fencing, sections laid out for gardens and a training ground, and a larger building in the back, meant to house their new school.

"I don't believe it!" Kisho whispered.

"Kisho-kun, who are they?"

A huge smile broke out on the ginger-haired youth's face as he spotted Bya standing in front of the house, beside a plainly dressed, but smiling jade-eyed man. He ran forward and leapt into Bya's arms, hugging his father tightly.

"Dad! This is _amazing_! How did you do this?" the boy exclaimed.

"Kisho," Bya said, setting him down and indicating the man beside him, "this is Akira. He is...a business partner. He helped me to complete payment for the construction of the school."

Ondori smiled and shook the boy's offered hand warmly.

"It's good to meet you, Kisho-kun," he said pleasantly.

He looked back at Bya and cleared his throat softly.

"Well, you need to get reacquainted, and you should show Kiwa-chan her room."

"I have my own room?" Kiwa asked, her blue eyes rounding.

"Yes, child," Bya answered, "Michio-san's message said that you would be staying with us for a while."

"D-do I get to go to school?" Kiwa asked, staring at the half finished school building.

"Of course," Bya assured her, "Go on with Kisho and you two can get settled. We will have dinner in a little while."

He watched as the children ran into the house, then turned back to Ondori.

"You don't have to leave," he assured his friend, "and it isn't necessary to hide who you are anymore."

"I'm not," Ondori assured him, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek, "My real name _is_ Akira. And this is the most real I've felt in a long time. I barely remember having family around."

"Well, you are like family to me, and you are welcome in my home."

"As long as I don't let on about who I am or what I misled you into doing, ne?"

Bya gave the brothel owner a look of guilt.

"I never meant it that way," he answered in a tormented tone.

"I know," Ondori assured him, smiling warmly, "You just need to avoid adding that to your troubles right now. I'm okay with that, really. When I come to see you, I will dress like this and be your business partner, Akira. No one needs to know the other role I play...until you are ready to tell them."

"I don't deserve you," Bya sighed, embracing Ondori, then letting him go.

"No," Ondori laughed, "You deserve way better than me, Bya-chan. Go now. Enjoy some time with your family."

Byakuya observed silently as Ondori flash stepped away, then he walked into the house and found Kisho kneeling on the floor in Kiwa's room, holding the crying girl against his shoulder and patting her back gently.

"I n-never had a r-room of my own...or so many clothes or..."

Bya knelt in front of them and slipped a hand into the girl's, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Kiwa-chan," he said softly, "I understand you have been through a very difficult time. Kisho and I can't replace the family that you had, but we will do our best to make you feel at home here. You are welcome to stay here...as Kisho's sister, and as my daughter, if you want to."

"Y-you mean, I don't have to find a new home?" Kiwa whispered shakily, "But you don't even know me!"

"I will get to know you," Bya assured her, "I can't promise you that living here will be easy. We will all have to work hard to get the school operating, but once it is, we won't have to worry so much about food or other things we need."

"I helped Mommy with chores every day," Kiwa said, looking around, "But does Kisho-kun have a mommy too?"

Bya's eyes saddened for a moment.

"Kisho and I just have each other," he replied softly, "And now we have you too."

"We should go and look at the school!" Kisho said excitedly.

"We will be planting the gardens tomorrow," Bya informed them, "The two of you can help me."

"I can dig holes and plant seeds and water," Kiwa said, putting her arms around Bya's neck and looking up into his eyes, "We had trees and plants. I had a kitty, but he ran away."

"Well," said Bya, holding Kiwa against him as he stood, "we will need your help picking out a couple of barn cats for the property. We will need them to chase the mice and rats away from the gardens and house."

"We can have cats?" Kisho asked excitedly.

Bya nodded.

"A farmer near the other end of town has offered to sell me some baby chicks, so that we will have some hens to lay eggs. We have to wait for the chicks to hatch, but we will be getting those soon as well."

"And then, there will be eggs!" Kisho shouted, "We can make them with cheese or make cakes or muffins or..."

"For now, we will be having soup and tea," Bya said, frowning sternly, "Go and wash up."

"Should I go too and wash up?" Kiwa asked, still hugging him around the neck.

"You can wash up in the kitchen and help me pour the tea."

"Okay...erm...umm...?"

"Bya. You may call me Bya."

"Not Dad, like Kisho-kun does?" the girl asked.

Bya gave her a sad look.

"You had a father, child. I can't replace him. I don't want to. But, I can take care of you as he would have wanted. I've wondered what having a daughter would be like."

"I like you, Bya-san!" Kiwa sighed, kissing him on the cheek, "You aren't scary at all."

Bya smiled back at her.

"Come, let's go and pour that tea."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Damn it!" Ichigo sighed in frustration, sitting down on a gnarled stump near the little fire the three had built, "I _know_ I felt Byakuya's reiatsu. I know I did."

"I felt it too," Tetsuya agreed, "You were right about that. My cousin is _definitely_ alive."

"But where is he?" Ichigo worried, "We've been through so many districts in the last few days."

"There are still places to look," Kuri assured him, laying a hand on his arm, " _Primo_ , we just have to keep on going. We are going to find him."

"But we all need to get some sleep," Tetsuya reasoned, "I will take the first watch. You two should go to bed."

He moved away from the fire as Kuri and Ichigo laid down on their sleeping bags, looking up into the star-filled sky.

"I know you miss him terribly, Ichibun," Kuri soothed him, "I know I would be crazy to find my Hideaki if he was alive somewhere and missing."

"Sometimes I think I'll lose my mind," Ichigo said in a tormented tone, "It was awful when it first happened, and I didn't understand what happened or whether he could still be alive. Then, for years, I searched, but found no sign of him anywhere."

"Feeling his presence again is a mixed blessing, I know," Kuri acknowledged.

"I feel like laughing and crying at the same time. I want to be angry at him for leaving, but at the same time, I just want to put my arms around him again! I want to bury my face in his hair and feel how soft it is, smell how sweet it is. I want to hear his voice...feel it while I'm holding onto him. I want to yell at him and tell him that if he ever leaves me again, I'll break him in two, myself. But the other part of me wants to cry and beg him never to do this to me again. I don't even know what I'll do if I see him."

"You know what you'll do if you see him," Kuri chuckled good naturedly, "You'll scold him for scaring you like that, and then you'll take him to your bed and make love to him. You'll tell him that you love him, and even if it kills you, you will forgive him for leaving...and you will never let him leave you again."

"I'm not like you, Kuri," Ichigo said in a wounded tone, "You forget. Byakuya dumped me. He was leaving me already. I could find him, and he might not want me back. And maybe he doesn't want that life he left behind."

Kuri gazed at him for a moment, then slapped him soundly.

"OW!" Ichigo cried, "What the hell?"

"¡Idiota!" he snapped, " _Qué disparate tienes en la cabeza_?" (Idiot! What nonsense have you got in your head?)

"What the heck?" Ichigo objected, "I don't understand you. What are you saying?"

"Sorry," Kuri apologized, "Not for slapping the shit out of you, but for using Spanish on you. You made me angry."

"Well, you're not exactly making me feel like sharing tea with you either!" Ichigo fumed, "What a jerk!"

"Ichibun, you have a very screwed up attitude!" Kuri said scathingly.

"Oh, _I_ have a screwed up attitude?" Ichigo shouted, "Well, _I'm_ not the one slapping people for no reason!"

"For no reason, pfft," Kuri huffed, "I had plenty of reason. Your true love is at least alive and you can find him and reason with him! My Hideaki died, Ichibun. He is never coming back. I could take him hurting me and leaving me in a thousand horrible ways if he would just not be dead! As long as he is breathing and his heart beats, you have a chance to work things out. Don't waste that."

"How can we have a chance?" Ichigo said, sadly, "You know Byakuya was right that the noble clans don't allow a leader of one clan to marry the leader or heir of another."

Kuri gave him a skeptical look.

"They all said I couldn't defy my marriage contract with Kuchiki Sasune either, or marry a commoner. I did both."

"Byakuya's no commoner," Ichigo said, his misery deepening, "He's the head of a clan."

"Not right now, he isn't," Kuri reminded him, "And maybe that says something."

"He didn't leave his position in the clan for me. I don't know why he left. Maybe he wanted to, or maybe someone forced him to go. But it wasn't about me, Kuri. It wasn't about us."

"I say you don't know that. Remember, you said to me that you found a broken pregnancy charm. We both know what would have happened if he had stayed and had to face the elders of his clan, confessing an affair with you and a fatherless child."

"Yeah. I really wrecked his life, didn't I? He tried to tell me, but I was just so in love with him, I couldn't take no for an answer. And what's weird is that even though he left me and it hurts like hell, I still love him...and I wish he could be alive, and that he's with our kid somewhere. But wherever he is? I wanna be there too. I just want to be with him...them. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Kuri assured him, patting his face as Ichigo shied away, then laughed ruefully, "There is nothing wrong with you for wanting to be with your family."

"When we met Kisho," Ichigo said, smiling affectionately, "I sort of told myself, that's probably what our kid would be like. He's the right age to be our kid. And when he said what Byakuya used to say about Kenpachi and how swords should only be raised to protect who we love, I wanted to just...I wanted him to be mine, you know? I want it to be that easy, to go down to Inuzuri and walk into Kisho's house and find Byakuya making tea and talking with him about his day. I want to go up to him and shake him a few times."

Ichigo paused and blinked sleepily.

"Then...I want to take him to bed and touch him all over, just so I know it's all real. And I think I'd be willing to do damned near anything so that we could be together."

"Well, keep up that thinking. We aren't done looking yet."

"I know," Ichigo yawned wearily, "It's just that as the days go by and he's still gone, it starts to feel less and less real again. For a long time, I just gave up and tried to accept that he was gone."

"And I'll bet those were the hardest days of your life, _Primo_. To have run out of hope and to be brokenhearted like that."

"It reminds me of how Byakuya looked when he was breaking up with me," Ichigo remembered, "The truth is, I knew he didn't want to. I tried and tried to convince him, but I just couldn't find the right words, or the right way. So, I yelled at him and said that if he wanted me gone, I was gone."

Ichigo shivered and let out a shaky breath.

"I didn't think for a minute that would be the last time I'd ever see him."

"You couldn't know."

"No, it's true. We never know when it's going to be the last time we'll see each other. It just hurts to think that whatever happened to him, he went into that, thinking that I might not forgive him...that I wouldn't want him back. That's why I still have a little hope he'll come back to me, though. I mean, maybe he only stayed away because he thought I wouldn't take him back, even if he did come home. If I find him, I can tell him that nothing is worth losing him over. I don't want to waste another day."

"That's what I would tell my Hideaki, if he could come back. My chance with him is over, but you still have a chance to be happy with Byakurai."

"If we ever find him," Ichigo breathed more softly, starting to drift off.

"We will find him," Kuri said firmly, "Now that we know he is alive, we will not stop until we bring him home. You will have your chance to mend things with him."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, yawning again, "I hope so."

Kuri started to answer, then paused, staring as a coded hell butterfly arrived and hovered in front of Ichigo. Ichigo shot up out of his sleeping bag, hurriedly urging the insect to deliver its message.

"Shiba Ichigo," Kuchiki Koji's voice whispered, "I have to warn you. I wanted to send this before, but Orochi keeps me close to him so that I won't sneak away and find Tetsuya-san."

Tetsuya appeared out of the darkness, his blue eyes tormented at the pain and fear in his attendant's voice. Kuri curled an arm around him, and held his hand as the message continued.

"If Tetsuya-san is with you, assure him that everyone here is okay. Orochi is focused on something else right now. I'm sure you sensed it. Byakuya-sama is alive and somewhere in the lower Rukongai. Just...I have to warn you that Orochi knows that. He has been gathering a group to go and search, under the guise of looking for Byakuya-sama to return him home. But he can't be allowed to find him. If Orochi reaches Byakuya-sama first, then he will not live to reach the Seireitei. Please, you must find Byakuya-sama quickly! You are the only hope he has. Torio gave me a message for you. He told me to tell you that before Byakuya-sama broke up with you that day, he witnessed Byakuya-sama crying at his wife's grave and confessing his love for you. Torio has been Byakuya-sama's attendant for most of both their lives and he had never seen him so distraught. He told me to tell you not to despair. Byakuya-sama didn't leave you for lack of loving you. It tore him apart to walk away, and he confessed to Hisana-sama that he wished it could be like with Rukia-chan...that you could come and force him to follow his heart. You shouldn't give up. Byakuya-sama wants to be rescued. He wants to come home...and he wants more than anything to give his love to you."

Koji inhaled sharply as Orochi's voice sounded nearby.

"I am sorry. I have to go. Please...take care of Tetsuya-san if you find him and bring Byakuya-sama home to us safely!"

Fresh chills ran down their spines as Orochi's voice sounded more clearly.

"It's time to leave," he said in a cold, emotionless voice, "It's time to put an end to this, once and for all!"


	9. Dawning

**Chapter 9: Think of Tomorrow**

"Dad!" Kisho shouted excitedly, running into the house and swiftly flash stepping from room to room, looking left and right as he went, "Dad, they're here!"

He ran out the back door and into the gardens, where he found Bya kneeling alongside Kiwa, amongst a scattering of new seedling plants, and adding more. Kiwa's face glowed as Bya indicated the ground in front of them and spoke quietly to her, then touched her hand lightly. As excited as he was, Kisho skidded to a stop and watched raptly as Bya buried the seed he had planted and took Kiwa's hand, gently laying it on top of the place over the planted seed.

 _It's like when he taught me about growing things. He said it wasn't magic, but it feels magical._

"If you make your mind quiet," Bya said softly, stealing a glance at Kisho, "and you listen and feel with your heart, you can sense the life in the seed and you can make it sprout."

He laid his hand over hers.

"I'll show you how this works."

"But I don't have any powers yet," Kiwa said, her little brow furrowing.

"You don't need any powers," Bya assured her, "You just need to open your heart so that you can connect with the life that is in that seed. Watch closely, Kiwa."

The group of ragged, but curious looking boys and girls that had arrived at the school with Kisho, joined him behind the two, watching as Bya focused on where his hand laid atop Kiwa's. Kiwa gave a little squeal and pulled her hand away, clasping both of her hands in front of her and staring in awe as a tiny little sprout peeked up, out of the ground and stretched itself up until two little leaves uncurled.

"It tickled me!" Kiwa laughed.

"Did you feel it's reiatsu?" Bya asked.

"Uh-huh," the girl affirmed, nodding, "It felt like a smile."

"Very good. Why don't you try?" Bya urged her.

The children with Kisho watched, wide-eyed as Kiwa planted a new seed in the ground, then sprinkled on a little water. She laid her hand over the planted seed and focused, closing her eyes, her chest slowly letting the breath pass in and out until she felt the tickle of the new sprout on her palm and giggled, clasping her hands in front of her as the little leaves uncurled.

"We don't want to push them beyond just sprouting, because they need time to draw more nutrients from the soil," Bya said, loudly enough for the other children to hear, "But doing this much gets them off to a good start, and it teaches us to be more in tune with nature."

"Can we try that too, mister?" asked a little boy a few years younger than Kisho.

"Yes," Bya invited them, standing.

The street children approached him, holding out their hands and accepting the seeds, then looking up at him questioningly.

"I know all of you lead a very difficult life, here in Inuzuri," Bya said, looking into their eyes warmly, "I know this because I live here too, and I face the same challenges every day. I struggle to survive and I wish and dream that things could be different. We all want our lives to be more beautiful. But if we want our lives to be more beautiful, instead of simply wishing for that beauty, we have to make it happen. This place where you are standing is the place where that will become possible."

Bya moved through the group of boys and girls, guiding each to a place within the prepared pattern on the ground in front of them.

"There is a place for each seedling to grow here," Bya went on, "and there is a place at this school where each of you can grow. Plant your seed in the ground and give them a new beginning."

The children dug into the prepared soil with eager fingers, poking down to make a hole, then dropping the seeds in a carefully covering them. They took turns sprinkling their soil with water, then placed hands over the planted seeds and concentrated. Giggles and happy chatter broke out as the seedlings began to sprout all around. Bya caught Kisho looking up at him and smiling proudly, and slipped an arm around his son, squeezing gently.

"This school, like the soil, is your new beginning," Bya told the children, "If you come to stay at the school, gardening is one of the important survival skills you will learn."

"What else?" an older boy asked.

"How many of you feel hungry a lot of the time?" Bya asked.

Several of the children raised their hands.

"You feel hungry because you have strong reiatsu. You can learn to use that power to protect yourselves and your family and friends. Those who do not have strong reiatsu can still learn fighting skills and strategies that will help you to stay out of trouble and still protect yourselves. You will also learn communication skills, reading, writing and mathematical skills that will help you to find work when you are old enough. As long as you agree to put your best efforts into caring for our school and learning, you will have a protected place to sleep, meals every day and medical care from healers we will be training here. Older students will teach what they learn to younger ones. We will take care of each other. In this way, we will all have more beautiful lives, and more than that, we will have hope and a vision of what we want for the future. The steps we take will seems small, but they will carry you out of helplessness, fear and despair. You will set a direction in your lives and I will help you find your way. Are there any questions?"

The gathered children exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Kisho," Bya directed his son, "please show the children to the completed section of the school building. There is a bedroll and a pack for each child. You can show them how to arrange themselves."

"Hai!" Kisho answered, leading the children away.

Bya and Kiwa brushed the dirt from their hands and exchanged glances.

"I think it's time to go and prepare soup and tea for their dinner," Bya suggested, standing and taking his daughter's hand.

They started back to the house, but stopped just short of it as Michio arrived at the house, carrying two bags of baguettes.

"What is this?" Bya asked curiously.

"Well," the old healer said, looking pleased, "it seems that a lot of folks around the town are taking an interest in the school. The bread vendor up the street says he will send along any extras at the end of the day to help feed the children. I thought it would go well with the soup. I also heard rumblings of others who are thinking of ways to help you get going. You're doing something good for Inuzuri here, Bya."

"Arigato," Bya answered, smiling gratefully as he accepted the bags and carried them into the house.

"I see quite a few of them came to stay here," Michio said, looking out in the direction of the school building.

"Kisho is getting them settled and going over the rules," Bya explained, "Kiwa and I were about to start making dinner. Would you like to join us?"

"Arigato, that would be great. I will go out to the school and heal any children who need it, then I can assess them and see if there are any budding healers among them."

"That would be good," Bya said approvingly, "We will need the school to become self-sustaining...so that whoever is here, it will run itself."

Michio gave him a questioning look.

"Are you thinking of leaving us, Bya-san?" he asked curiously.

"No," Bya said, looking down for a moment as a flutter of anxiety touched his insides, "It is just that one never knows what can happen. If, for some reason, I had to be away, I would want to know that the children here would be safe and continuing to learn. One person shouldn't be the thing that holds everyone else together. To be truly strong, the strength of the whole group must be increased. It's simple logic, really."

"You are a blessing to Inuzuri," the old healer sighed, his aged eyes still looking in the direction the other children had gone, "Bya-san, I know that it was a terrible thing that brought you here, but you have really made a difference, and you are making more of one every day."

"I am just...listening to my heart," Bya commented, "Teaching them to survive in this place is just something I have to do. I have just never had the means until now."

"It will be nice to have more healers and capable people around. Not to mention, children who are learning to work together and take care of each other. Those are some things that make or break us, aren't they? Inuzuri is changing, Bya. You've started something good here."

"This place does seem a little less cold today," Bya said in a peaceful tone.

"Will you and the children be coming to the festival this weekend?" Michio asked as the three entered the house and walked towards the kitchen.

Bya laid the bags of bread down on the counter and found the large soup pot.

"We are planning to come. Why?"

"We may be visited by an important guest," Michio explained, "While we were traveling, Kisho, Kiwa, Noa and I met the Shiba prince, Shiba ichigo."

Bya paused for a moment at the strange shiver that went through him at just the mention of the man's name.

"That's what the children were telling me," Bya answered, filling the pot partway with water, then sending Kiwa outside to gather the vegetables, "I try not to associate with shinigamis, but he did sound like a friendly person. Kisho said he was looking for someone."

"Yes," Michio agreed, "I got more of the story while the children were dancing at the restaurant he took us to. Bya-san, he says that he is looking for Kuchiki Byakuya, the Kuchiki prince who disappeared ten years ago and he sensed while we were at the restaurant. I didn't say anything to the children, but Noa and I remember, of course, that you arrived in Inuzuri ten years ago, when you were found by Ondori-san."

"Only you and Ondori and I know about that," Bya said softly, glancing warily in the direction Kiwa had gone, "But thank you for informing me. I will have to think about that."

"It if did turn out you were the Kuchiki prince, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"I don't know," Bya said wistfully, pouring in the stock and setting the water to boil, "If it is me, then someone may have been trying to kill me. And if that is true, then he might not be looking for me to help me."

"He didn't seem the sort of man to be like that," Michio surmised, "He was kind to the children, and he was very gracious, making sure we were all fed well after we healed him."

"It's just so hard knowing what people are like on the inside," Bya said, frowning, "The surface may be nothing like what lies beneath. I have to be wary about approaching this man. I can feel it."

"Well, we didn't say anything to him that would suggest you were the one he was looking for. I just wanted to let you know what ran through our minds, so you would be aware he might be there. He didn't say for sure."

"But it is good to know so that I can be cautious, though I am always cautious around strangers anyway."

He smiled at Kiwa as she ran into the kitchen and handed him the selected vegetables.

"Take them to the sink and scrub them with the vegetable scrubber, then we can cut them," he directed her, "When the water is hot enough, we'll add them."

"Got it!" Kiwa said, taking the vegetables to the sink and climbing up on a little wooden step, so that she could reach the faucet.

A moment later, she squealed in surprise as something scuttled across the windowsill.

"Eek! Daddy Bya!" she shrieked.

"It's all right," Bya said, hugging her as she crashed into his legs, "But no running in the kitchen. There is hot water on the stove and you could get burned if you aren't careful."

"It was a mouse! An icky mouse!"

"It's fine. We don't really mind a mouse being around outside. That is where they belong. It's only when they are inside that it becomes a problem," Bya assured her, "That's why we have your cat, Cho now, ne?"

"Oh, right," Kiwa remembered.

She let go of Bya and raced out of the kitchen.

"Walk, young lady!" Bya said sternly.

"Sorry!" Kiwa shouted, running into the hallway, "Cho! Cho-kitty! Come here you damn cat!"

"Kiwa!"

"Sorry Daddy Bya!"

Bya sighed and shook his head in amusement.

"It is good to see her adjusting," Michio said in a relieved tone, "It was very difficult for her, losing her parents and sister. She was lucky that your boy was there and took such a liking to her. I did tell him he can't take home every stray child he meets."

"Oh, Kisho knows that. I am sure that it was just being so close to Kiwa in the moment she lost her family likely made him form a bond with her."

"Probably so. Anyway, she is blessed to have you."

Michio sighed and glanced out to where several of the children were back in the garden, continuing to plant new seedlings.

"Well, I'd best get going and see how our future prospects look."

"Kiwa and I will meet everyone in the school dining area when the soup is ready."

Bya turned back to work on the soup as the old man left, then looked up as Kiwa returned to the kitchen, carrying a little orange striped cat that was barely more than a kitten.

"Here Cho," she said, pointing to where the mouse had run by, "I saw him right here. You stay here and if he comes back, you eat him!"

"Kiwa, you shouldn't put the cat on the counter," Bya said quietly.

"W-well, isn't it better to have a cat on the counter than to have a mouse running around on the counter and trying to get in your food?" Kiwa reasoned.

Bya frowned and looked from the cat to where the mouse had been.

"That sounds oddly logical," he mused, "Hmm..."

The kitten walked along the counter to Bya and nuzzled his arm, purring softly. He hesitated, turning curious grey eyes on the little creature, then ran a hand lightly over the kitten's back, inciting another display of nuzzling and louder purring.

"I taught him a trick," Kiwa told him, picking the kitten up from the counter and placing him on her shoulder, where he snuggled into the waves of her hair and remained crouched there, "See?"

"I see," Bya said approvingly, "It's too bad that will only work while he is very small, but it does give him another way to feel close to you. Why don't you take Cho and go play in your room until dinner is ready. You have helped me a lot today."

"Okay, come on Cho-kitty!"

Bya watched her leave, then turned back to the soup, slowly adding ingredients as the water boiled in the pot. He loaded the bread Michio had provided, along with a few other necessary items onto a small cart to roll out to where the children were gathered, and had just turned the heat off under the soup, when a chilling shriek echoed across the little glen.

"Hollow!" Kisho shouted, "Everyone get inside!"

Older children grabbed the younger ones and hustled them into the school, where they watched warily as the hollow fluttered down from the sky, using bat-like wings and screeching hungrily. Kisho looked around to make sure they were well concealed, then picked up his sword and crept out the back of the building. Well aware of the danger, the street children clung tightly to each other and kept perfectly silent as the dangerous creature approached. The hollow lifted its bony beak into the air, sniffing, then turned its head towards the school building. Stalking slowly, it chittered at the hidden children, making little shivers go through them. As it neared, a soft, warning voice rose up, making the children peek out and stare as Bya appeared behind the hollow, carrying a blue handled sword.

"You have chosen the wrong place to try to feed, hollow," he warned the creature sternly, "Leave or I will not hesitate to impale you."

The hollow hissed and flapped its leathery wings, squawking furiously and turning to stalk the grey-eyed man.

"You are not a sssshinigami," the hollow accused him, "Why do you think you can defeat me with that ssssword?"

"One doesn't need to be a shinigami to slay a hollow," Bya reasoned, "He only needs to be able to sense it and to slash it properly. The fact that I am aware of this means that you should leave while you can. Get off of this property and do not come back."

"H-hahhhhh!" hissed the hollow, "You like to talk, but I feel no strength in you, little soul. Still, I am hungry enough to even feed on a weakling!"

The children in the school building gasped as the hollow charged at Bya, who stood his ground until it seemed nearly impossible for him to escape. At the last moment, he moved, slashing the hollow across the chest as a second small figure jumped high into the air and slashed the hollow from behind. The beast screamed its hatred as it slowly disintegrated, leaving Bya and Kisho facing each other in front of the school building.

"That was a perfect strike from behind his head," Bya complimented the boy.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Kisho asked, his eyes scanning his father's slender form for any sign of a wound.

"I am fine," Bya assured him, "He didn't touch me."

The two watched as the street children slowly emerged from the school building, all quietly watching and waiting for Bya to speak. He waited as Kisho cleaned and sheathed his blade, then nodded, indicating his son.

"One of the things each of you has been given is a sword," he explained, "You will be trained in how to use it to fight hollows when they attack. Let me make this clear. We only need to kill a hollow that is threatening us We never chase them unless it is to save a life. Killing hollows, or anything else, is not something we want to do. We do it to protect ourselves... _only_ to protect ourselves. Whether you have strong reiatsu or not, you can learn to protect yourself against hollows."

He let out a breath and smiled at the children.

"It's safe now," he assured them, "and it is time for dinner."

Michio emerged from the building, holding the hand of one of the street children. He approached Bya as he walked back to the house and loaded the soup pot onto the cart, looking, for all intents and purposes as if nothing had happened at all.

"It's been a while since I've seen you hold that sword," the healer commented, "You are a capable swordsman, Bya. And this time, I felt the sword's reiatsu. It was strange, though. It seemed like it was calling to you, but you weren't answering. Do you mind if I ask why?"

Bya looked back at the old healer and sighed.

"A sword like that needs a person connected in body, heart and mind," he explained, "While my body remembers holding that sword and connecting with it and my heart wants to fight, my mind doesn't remember. There can't be a full connection until all three unite."

"Of course," Michio agreed, "That is a proud sword. It waits patiently for you. I think it won't be long before you'll be able to fully use it again, Bya."

"Hmm," Bya sighed in a non-committal tone.

He quietly pulled the cart out of the kitchen and headed for the school building with the old healer at his side.

In a camp, several miles away, Ichigo sat up straighter in front of the fire they had built, placing a hand on his chest as Tetsuya did the same. The two exchanged glances, then Tetsuya looked out in the direction where the power had seemed to emanate.

"That wasn't Byakuya," Ichigo mused, "It was...different, but familiar."

He paused, meeting Tetsuya's eyes wonderingly.

"I saw Kisho's face," he commented, "Did you...?"

"Yes," Tetsuya agreed, "Ichigo-sama, I think we know now where Byakuya-sama is."

Ichigo stood and turned his eyes in the direction of the East 78th District.

"Inuzuri," Ichigo breathed, staring in fascination.

He barely felt Tetsuya's hand touch his arm.

"Ichigo-sama, you understand what this mean, ne? Kisho-kun is your and Byakuya-sama's child. That makes him an heir. And it also means that the elders of both clans will have sensed him...and Orochi will too."

Ichigo took a deep, shaky breath.

"Kuri!" he shouted, "Break camp."

"What? But it's the middle of the night!"

"It'll take us a while to get there. We need to go now. We have to get to Inuzuri before Orochi does!"


	10. This Dance

**Chapter 10: This Dance**

 **(Been up most of the night being picky over the details. Going to sleep, but I'll try to get in another chapter and a bunch of shout outs to you awesome people later, after work. *yawns...quivers...collapses*)**

"Daddy Bya, Akira-san is here!" Kiwa shouted, scampering down the hall and charging playfully at Kisho, who laughed and dodged her feisty hands and feet as the two sparred.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Kisho said, glancing down at his new kimono, "We don't want to get messed up before we even get there."

Kiwa snickered and aimed another kick at him, setting off a fierce exchange that was stopped as Ondori caught Kisho's foot in mid kick and tilted his head, arching an eyebrow meaningfully.

"Is that how you greet a guest, Kisho-kun?" he teased, "Where are your manners?"

He looked around questioningly.

"Where is your father, by the way?"

"In there," Kisho directed him, pointing at the door to Bya's room, "He's getting ready."

"Hmm," Ondori said thoughtfully, patting the pack he carried on his shoulder, "Maybe I'll give him a hand."

He slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Bya stood in front of a full length mirror, adjusting the tie on a simple, but fetching blue-grey kimono. He turned an eye on the brothel owner, who shook his head firmly.

"No way," he said, smirking, "That's fine for Sunday School, but I have something here that will be much better."

"Ondori...erm, Akira," Bya said, putting up his hands, "I have young children. I cannot be..."

"Trust me," Ondori laughed, removing a breathtaking white kimono with a dance of pink and red cherry blossoms, starting from one breast and running over the shoulder and back.

Bya sucked in a surprised breath and stared wordlessly.

"You like it?" Ondori asked.

Bya blushed.

"I am sorry," he apologized, the blush deepening, "I misjudged you."

"That's okay, I set you up to misjudge me," Ondori laughed, "I knew what you would be thinking. But we are not meeting scoundrels tonight, at least, we won't be dancing with any."

"I should have known by looking at you," Bya said, admiring the charming green patterned kimono the brothel owner wore, "You are dressed for public exposure."

"Not _full exposure_!" Ondori joked, laughing as he held out the kimono for Bya and waited as the grey-eyed man disrobed.

He set the kimono in place, running his hands over each piece to smooth it and turning Bya as he worked, so that the two could examine the lovely kimono from several angles.

"I'd say that you look more than ready to sweep someone off his feet tonight, Bya-chan. Will you save me a dance?"

"Of course," Bya said, blushing again.

"You are such a delicious temptation," Ondori teased playfully, "but you said there may be someone there looking for you tonight?"

"Yes."

"A handsome prince?" Ondori inquired.

"A handsome prince," Bya agreed, "but I don't know what his intentions are."

"You haven't remembered him?"

"No. I do know that he looks like Kisho. My son told me that he has ginger colored hair. But...even if it turns out that he is Kisho's father, there is no guarantee that he isn't the one who tried to kill me."

"Don't worry," Ondori said, sliding his arms around Bya from behind and kissing his cheek, "I will be nearby, and I won't let anyone molest you."

Bya turned and squeezed his friend's hands.

"Thank you...for everything," he said gratefully.

He inhaled in surprise as Ondori pulled him into a long, heated kiss that left both men flushed all over. Bya stepped back, his mind spinning and his dark eyes widened.

"Why did you do that?" he whispered, "It feels like are you saying goodbye."

The brothel owner smiled sadly and let his fingers run down Bya's soft cheek.

"I think we both know that tonight will change everything for us," Ondori confessed, "I just wanted to feel close to you one last time before you go."

"I am not leav..."

Bya paused, staring up into Ondori's handsome jade eyes as the man's hands curved around his face.

"I lied to you about something," Ondori confessed, "when you asked why I never had sex with you. I told you that it was because it would have made it impossible for us to face the cruel world together. But...it was really that if I had ever made love to you, then I couldn't have let you go. And I always knew deep down that I would have to."

"Ondori..." Bya breathed helplessly.

"What do you expect? You're a handsome, charming prince. Who wouldn't fall in love with you?"

Ondori rolled his eyes and gave him a little smirk to break the tension.

"Besides the person who wants to kill you, of course," he added, "and even he may be negatively attached. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Once Shiba Ichigo sees you all dressed up like this and looking at him with those eyes, even if he was planning to kill you, he won't be able to. You'll freeze him with that beautiful face and you'll kill him with those lips. And if I find out he ever breaks your heart, Kuchiki Byakuya, I will use all of the wicked skills I've learned over the years and make him the sorriest man alive before I kill him!"

"Dad?" Kisho called from the doorway, making the two men in the room turn their heads towards him.

Bya read his son's confusion and took a steadying breath.

"Kisho."

"Dad, why did he call you Kuchiki Byakuya? And why would Ichigo-sama want to kill you?"

Ondori gave Bya an apologetic look.

"M-maybe you two need to talk alone."

"No," Bya said quietly, "I want you to stay."

"Dad?" Kisho inquired uncertainly.

Bya sat down and took Kisho's hands in his.

"Kisho, the truth is, I haven't always lived in Inuzuri."

"I know," Kisho confessed softly, "I've overheard things before. I didn't mean to. But I didn't know it meant that you could be a noble prince."

"I don't know if I am," Bya explained, "I only realized recently that I could be. And I don't know how I feel about that."

"Why? Wouldn't it be good if we didn't have to live here? If we could live in the Seireitei?"

"It could be," Bya agreed, "The problem is that when I arrived in Inuzuri, it was after..."

"People say that you...uh... the Kuchiki prince, tried to kill himself," Kisho reminded him, "Are you saying that's true? Or not true?"

"I don't know," Bya confessed, "Kisho, I don't remember what happened the day that I arrived in Inuzuri. I have no memory of anything before that day. All I know is what I've been since I arrived."

"Did you come here with my mother?" Kisho asked, "You've never talked about her."

"That is because you weren't born out of a woman."

"What?" Kisho mused, his eyes rounding.

"I have told you that powerful souls that resonate with each other, even though they may be both male or both female, can reproduce together."

"But..."

"I haven't always been powerless. You know that. And it seems that I resonated with someone, and that someone was male. He is your father, Kisho, but you were born out of my own body."

"Y-you?" Kisho whispered, "But then..."

His mind fired back to meeting the Shiba prince, to the instant feeling of closeness he had had with Ichigo...how Ichigo had looked at him.

 _Almost like we already knew each other...And I look like him._

"Dad, is Ichigo-sama my father?"

Bya's eyes clouded and he wrapped his arms around his son tightly.

"I don't know, son. He might be. I told you, I can't remember what happened before. I don't think that I would have tried to take my own life that day I was found, but I can't be sure. And if I did not try to take my life, then someone else did. That much is clear from the injuries I suffered."

"You told Akira-san?" Kisho said, looking up at the jade-eyed man, who smiled briefly and nodded.

"He didn't have to. I found him," Ondori explained.

"But...I thought you and Akira-san just met and were business partners. You've known each other all along?"

"Yes," Bya affirmed, "We just kept the truth to ourselves and the healer who healed me."

"So, Michio-san knows you aren't from here too?" Kisho asked.

"He helped heal me. Yes, he knows. I didn't tell you or anyone else, Kisho, because if I am the missing Kuchiki prince, then someone may be looking for me to kill me. And if they learn about you, then you could be in danger too."

"Dad!"

"As far as I know, no one has guessed I am here. But..."

"I invited Ichigo-sama to come here for the solstice party!" Kisho exclaimed, "If he is here to find you and hurt you, I led him right to you!"

"But he may be your father, Kisho," Bya reminded him, "He may be trying to find us to help us. If we want to learn his intentions, I have to see him if he is there tonight. Akira will be there to protect me. I need you to be very careful. Stay nearby, but be ready in case of trouble. If you are in danger, take Kiwa and go to Michio. He will watch over you."

"I'm scared, Dad," Kisho whispered, wrapping his arms around his slender body, "Do you really think that Ichigo-sama would hurt us? He's the savior of Soul Society. Why would he hurt us?"

"I don't know why he would, but Kisho, I need you to think very carefully," Bya directed the boy, "Tell me what you felt when he first made eye contact with you. Do you remember that moment?"

"Mhmm," Kisho confirmed, closing his eyes, "It felt warm...friendly. Dad, I trust Ichigo-sama. He looked like he was really worried about whoever he was looking for. If you are that person, I don't think he wants to hurt you. I think he might want to protect you."

"That is what I will find out tonight. But you must not tell anyone what we're about. If I am not the one he is looking for, I don't want to draw the attention of other people, who might get the wrong idea about the situation. And I don't want to lead whoever might have tried to kill me right to us."

"I won't say anything," Kisho promised, "but Dad, if he's my father and you're my mother, and you are both princes, then..."

"You would be an heir," Bya explained, "And a surprise heir might not be a welcome thing to the clans. I don't know. Like I said, we have to be careful and I have to speak to Shiba Ichigo if he is at the festival."

"It's almost time to go," Kisho said anxiously, glancing up at Akira, "Akira-san, will you promise not to let anyone hurt my dad?"

"I promise, Kisho, I will guard him with my life," Ondori swore solemnly.

"Okay," Kisho said, taking a steadying breath, "then it will be okay, whatever happens."

"Good boy," Akira said, patting him on the head, "Run along now. Bya-chan and I will be out in a minute."

"Oh," Kisho said, smirking, "You want to kiss him goodbye again?"

"Kisho," Bya said sternly.

"Sorry!" the boy giggled, running out the door.

"I'm the one who's sorry," Ondori apologized, "I really shouldn't have done that. You've never been mine and I knew better. You're just pretty irresistible. There's only one more thing."

He removed a jeweled hair decoration from within his pack and turned Bya towards the mirror as he wove the delicate pieces into the silken black lengths of his hair. He used a hand-held mirror to reflect the image of the decoration, earning a genuine smile from the usually serious Bya.

"You look perfect," Ondori said smiling widely, "Come, it's time to go and find your prince."

"You sound so sure that Shiba Ichigo is here for me, and not wanting to harm me. How can you be so sure?"

"Kisho-kun feels connected to him," Ondori concluded, "And that boy's heart is a very good guide. It's no surprise. He did learn from someone else whose heart is a very good guide."

Bya gave him a skeptical look.

"If my heart guides me well, then how did I end up thrown in a river, beaten nearly to death by debris and pretty much drowned? Oh, and with someone probably wanting to kill me, if I didn't just try to kill myself?"

"Come on," Ondori laughed, pulling him by the hand, "Let's go!"

The two left the house, with Bya holding Kisho's hand and Ondori holding Kiwa's. The group of the school's children trailed behind them, talking and laughing with increasing anticipation as the group neared the center of town.

"Kisho-kun!" Kiwa exclaimed, pointing as they approached the festival booths, "they have face painting! Can we try it?"

Kisho looked up at Bya, who noted that a fair number of the children from the school had also chosen to visit the booth.

"Stay together," Bya warned them, "And Kisho, you remember what I told you."

"Yes, Father," Kisho answered, giving him an uneasy look, "But...are you sure I shouldn't stay with you? What if...?"

"Akira and I will just be dancing," Bya assured him, "You can see us from the face painting and food vendors, so remain in this area, so we can find each other."

"Okay!" Kiwa shouted, grabbing Kisho's hand and dragging him away.

Bya took a steadying breath and looked around.

"See any ginger hair?" Ondori asked, looking around, himself.

"Not yet," Bya answered, shaking his head, "Remember, we don't know for sure that he will be coming here."

"Well, I think we'll get a better look around if we are moving," Ondori suggested, offering him and arm, "Shall we?"

Bya accepted his arm and the two joined the couples in the large dance square. Bya felt as though time slowed as his eyes swept a section of the large crowd. Ondori turned him and his eyes scanned another section of the crowd. For several turns, he saw no sign of the man Kisho had described, but as they swept past Kisho and Kiwa, still waiting in line for the face painting, Ondori made a sound of surprise and pulled Bya up close against him.

"There," he hissed in Bya's ear, "At the edge of the dance floor over there. He's obviously looking for someone. Should I show you or not?"

Bya swallowed hard, peeking around Ondori for a moment and freezing as a pair of golden brown eyes just missed colliding with his. He froze for a moment, throwing his dance partner off and exposing himself to the ginger haired man's field of vision. Bya sucked in a shocked breath as the man's eyes came to rest on him and widened in recognition. In the next moment, Ondori's arm wrapped around him and turned him away.

"What is he doing?" Bya asked quickly.

"He's coming this way!" the brothel owner said, "Are you ready?"

"I don't..." Bya began, stiffening.

"Good luck!" Ondori said, turning him so that he came to a stop in the middle of the dance floor and face to face with the ginger haired man.

For a moment, the two men froze, looking into each other's eyes, their hearts pounding in anticipation, then shock.

"Byakuya!" the man managed in a stricken breath as Bya stared at him searchingly, blinking slowly and feeling a rush of familiarity that was almost spellbinding.

His heart racing and his mind spinning, he bowed in greeting and waited.

The ginger-haired man took up a position in front of him and Bya stepped into his arms, closing his eyes and feeling as though he must have been in that place a hundred times before.

 _Kami, it feels like coming home after being away forever!_

 _Could it be?_

The man leaned in close and Bya could feel he was shaking with emotion.

"Byakuya? It is you, isn't it?" the man asked, holding him tightly, "It looks like you. It feels like you. Please, tell me if it's you."

"Y-you are Shiba Ichigo?" Bya asked warily, opening his dark eyes and fixing them on Ichigo's.

"Yeah," the ginger-haired man confirmed.

Bya noted that Akira was nearby, dancing with Noa and watching them closely.

"It's really you?" Ichigo asked, looking closely at the slender, grey-eyed man's face.

"We need to talk," Bya breathed into his ear, "behind the sweets vendor."

"Wait," Ichigo persisted, retaining his hold on Bya, "Just tell me, are you Kuchiki Byakuya?"

"I think so," Bya ventured, uncertainly, "but I don't know! That is why we need to talk. But I know it isn't safe. Please...let me go and I will meet you behind the sweets vendor. There is a quiet place where we can talk. My son, Kisho, told me about you. He said that you were looking for the Kuchiki prince."

"It is you, isn't it?" Ichigo managed, tears leaking onto his face, "You're alive!"

"Ichigo, you have to let go for a moment. We have to..."

"Please, Byakuya," Ichigo whispered, holding them against each other, "You've been gone for ten years. Every day and every night, all I've wanted for all of that time was to hold you in my arms and tell you...I love you and I'm sorry I ever let you think for a moment that I'd let you go. I wouldn't, and I swear I won't, now that I've found you again. I get that you don't remember me, and I'll go and talk to you all that you want, but...I just need to hold you here for a minute. I feel like it's been forever!"

Tears flooded Bya's eyes as the feeling of familiarity became nearly overwhelming. He relaxed in Ichigo's arms, and as the two moved slowly together, the people and the lights, even the music and sounds around them faded out until it was just the two of them, suspended on air and dancing to sound only they could hear.

Ichigo's warm, masculine scent touched Bya's reeling senses, and he heard echoes of the man's voice as it had spoken to him so many times. Images floated in of him standing in gardens around a beautiful home he sensed had once been his, and other faces showed themselves in his mind...then names and things they had shared leaking in from all directions.

"Ichigo," he whispered, his hands tightening their hold on the ginger-haired man, "I feel like I've been a fog for all of this time, but...things are coming back! I remember..."

He realized then that they had stopped moving. Everything around them blurred and Bya felt as though something broke apart inside him as Ichigo's lips touched his and an eruption of memory weakened his legs so that he could barely stand. He kissed Ichigo back and felt and heard the other man give a little, sob of relief, as they clung to each other and kissed again.

Ichigo's head moved and his lips touched Byakuya's soft earlobe.

"I don't know what happened to you, why you've been here or what it takes," he whispered bracingly, "but I give you my word, I will stay with you. I won't let you go. And I will never let anyone or anything get between us again. I love you, Byakuya."

"Ichigo," Byakuya whispered back, "I love you too, but you need to understand, there are things that..."

Byakuya broke off as an explosion sounded in the distance, making the surprised revelers turn and stare. Ichigo loosened his hold on Byakuya, who noted the direction of twin fireballs that rose high up into the air, and went sheet white.

 _"The school_!" he gasped, tearing away from Ichigo and disappearing into the crowd.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo called frantically, trying to follow.

Byakuya burst past Ondori, who let go of Noa's hand and charged after him, closely pursued by a frantic looking Kisho.

"Byakuya, where are you!" Ichigo howled, looking around frantically.

Tetsuya and Kuri flash stepped into view.

"He was here!" Ichigo said quickly, "He ran off after the explosion."

"Maybe he lives in the direction of the blast and is worried about his home," Tetsuya concluded, "I don't think he'd run away from it."

"We don't know what he'll do!" Ichigo worried, "Guys, he didn't come back because he couldn't remember who he is. I mean, he's been told he might be Kuchiki Byakuya, but he doesn't know...or didn't know until we met tonight. He's just starting to remember!"

"That's going to make him flighty," Kuri reasoned.

"I think he's going towards the fireballs," Tetsuya insisted.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Let's go!"

The three headed out of the town square, hurrying towards the edge of town. Byakuya ran ahead of them, his eyes on the sparks and plumes of smoke that were rising into the sky.

 _What in kami's name happened there?_

 _Everything we've worked so hard and sacrificed so much for might be going up in flames!_

He couldn't stop his feet or hear the shouts of Ondori or Kisho behind him as he rounded a curve and ran into the little glen to find his nightmares come to life. In front of him, the buildings were lit with raging flame and the grounds that had been so carefully landscaped were in disarray. A man stood in the center of the field, his sword drawn and his face lit in the darkness. The fires that surged through the fully involved buildings lit his deadly black eyes that he focused on Byakuya.

"I thought I sensed you here. And it's true. This is where you've been hiding out all of this time, isn't it?"

"Why have you done this?" Byakuya hissed, staring as the man moved closer and his lips curled with hatred, "Who are you?"

"Welcome back from the dead, cousin!" the man greeted him, "You mean to say that you don't know my face? The face of your own kin?"

"I don't know who you are or why you came here..." Bya began.

He paused as the man's face and voice resonated in his confused mind. A name came to his lips and he released it almost violently.

"Orochi!"

"So you do remember me?" Orochi said coldly, "Here at the end, you know who is killing you?"

The man pointed his sword at Bya.

"Doku," he said softly, "Kurohebi!"

Bya watched in horror as three large snakes emerged from the man's sword and slithered towards him.

"Bya!" Orodoni panted, reaching him and hastily removing the seal on his powers, "quickly!"

Byakuya felt a surge of power in his torso, and felt the presence of the soul that had waited in his blade for him to remember.

 _Your name!_

 _I don't know your name!_

 _I am remembering, but this hasn't come back to me!_

Bya felt the soul within him pause as the snakes closed in.

 _Please help me!_

Pink light swelled around his body and a sword began to form in his hand. The black eyes of his attacker widened for a moment, then narrowed in realization as the power around Byakuya flickered and fell short of release.

"No way you're getting to him!" Ondori shouted, loosing a volley of kido fire at one of the snakes.

The snake didn't even slow, but shot through the attack and latched on to the brothel owner's arm, biting and wrapping around.

Ondori screamed in pain and dropped onto his knees, tearing at the snake that clung to him, still biting.

"Kisho, run!" Byakuya cried, swinging his sword at the second snake as it tried to pass by him.

The second and third snake lunged at Byakuya, breaking through his guard, one biting down on an ankle and the other wrapping around and clamping down on an arm. Byakuya gasped in dismay as Kisho flash stepped towards the oncoming stranger, screaming and slashing with his sword.

"Don't touch him! I won't let you hurt him! Get away!"

"Kisho, don't!" Byakuya warned him, flash stepping in between the two as the black-eyed man swung his sword.

Blood exploded from Byakuya's back as the sword tore across, then swiftly turned and struck across his back again. Byakuya crashed down onto the ground and went still.

"DAD!" Kisho wailed, kicking and screaming as Ondori crawled forward, barely fast enough to grab him and pull him back.

"No! Let go, Akira! Please!" Kisho pleaded.

"Akira?" Orochi mused, looking more closely at the brothel owner as Ondori held Kisho tightly against him, "That gutter rat from the camp that night? He's been with you all of this time, has he? I should have thought of that...not that it matters, since all of you are going to die now."

The black-eyed man moved forward, closing in on where Ondori held Kisho down, his hand ready to defend them with another kido blast.

"It won't work," Orochi said calmly, moving closer, "That snake that came from my sword is filled with poison. Right now, it is racing through your veins and it is going to kill you and that useless cousin of mine, if the slashes I gave him don't kill him first. You might as well let the boy go. He's going to attack me anyway. I just want Byakuya and him. When they are dead, I will withdraw my power. You don't have to die."

"Screw you, you bastard!" Ondori snarled firing another blast of kido.

His eyes rounded as the power forming in his hand flickered oddly and died, and the black-eyed man laughed mockingly. Orochi fired a blast of kido from his hand that struck the brothel owner and sent both Kisho and him crashing down into the dirt. Ondori twitched and went still. Kisho rolled onto his knees and crawled towards Byakuya, taking up a protective position in front of him.

"What do you think you're going to do, little Rukon prince?" Orochi asked mockingly, raising his weapon over Kisho and Byakuya, "Enjoy your last breaths."

Tears running down his face, Kisho raised his hands as he had seen Ondori do, willing power to flow through his stiffened form to protect them. Orochi stared in surprise as a powerful flash of kido erupted wildly from the boy's untrained hands, flying at him and forcing him back several steps. Orochi's face contorted with hatred, and he started towards Kisho with his sword raised, then skidded to a stop as three swords released together.

"Getsugatenshou!" cried Ichigo.

"Koori no Bakuha!" Tetsuya shouted.

"Totsuzenshi!" Kuri intoned.

Faced with the triple assault, Orochi retreated a short distance away and glared back at the three who moved forward to protect Byakuya, Ondori and Kisho.

"It doesn't matter what you do," Orochi challenged them, "Take him back, if you want. There was barely anything left of him when I struck him down. He couldn't even bring a shikai. He's an embarrassment. Keep him."

"Orochi, you bastard!" Ichigo snarled, firing another blast from his weapon as the Kuchiki leader disappeared, "Damn you!"

A terrified cry rose up behind him and he turned back to find Kisho laying on Byakuya's bloodied back, clinging to him and crying. Ichigo flash stepped to the two and knelt beside Byakuya. Kisho sucked in a frightened breath, then calmed slightly as he realized who was with him. He stiffened as he remembered.

"Kiwa!"

Tetsuya moved to his cousin's side and carefully began to assess Byakuya's injuries.

"I saw Noa take your sister's hand as we left the square," Tetsuya remembered, "She is safe."

"Tetsuya, how is Byakuya?" Ichigo asked, slipping a hand into Kisho's.

"It's not good," Tetsuya said worriedly, "Orochi's snakes have poisoned him. I have been able to use one of my powers to hold it back, to delay the effects somewhat, but we need to get him to a more skilled healer."

"This one is not badly hurt," Kuri reported, leaning over Ondori, "but the poison is in him too."

"Byakuya's as stable as I can get him," Tetsuya concluded, "but you have to go now and find Orihime-chan. Get him to her quickly!"

Ichigo nodded and lifted Byakuya over his shoulder. He glanced down at Kisho's tearstained face.

"You have a good flash step?" he asked, "Do you think you can keep up with me?"

Kisho shivered involuntarily, but he nodded.

"Okay, follow me," Ichigo said, opening a Shiba family senkaimon.

Kuri threw Ondori over his shoulder and followed with Tetsuya into the senkaimon. Behind them, the little house and school, fully engulfed in flames, weakened and quivered, then slowly collapsed.


	11. Poison

**Chapter 11: Poison**

 **(I apologize for not getting to shout outs yet, but I'm being killed with work and have a few hours to go, but couldn't wait to post. Tomorrow is the last day this week and next week, I'm on vacation (going to sleep all week, I think!) Enjoy the new chapter. Spunky loves ya!)**

A man's voice sounded somewhere in the depths of Ondori's muddled mind, bringing him back from what felt like a gaping precipice and leaving him suspended in a much softer feeling haze. The voice sounded, not once, but off and on, each time coming closer. It had a soothing quality that suggested the man doing the speaking had a humorous bedside manor and a more lighthearted nature, but also had a serious side that was not just dangerous, but deadly.

 _Who is this man?_

"You should be able to hear me now," the man said to him, "but you won't be able to move for a while. The poison injected into your body by Kuchiki Orochi's snake is a pretty nasty one. It's a good thing that the boys got you here when they did, because a few more minutes and your central nervous system would have shut down."

 _Is he...smiling at me?_

"You're welcome, by the way," the man chuckled, "Just get some rest now, okay?

Ondori focused his hazy mind wholly on opening his heavy eyelids. Doing so made sweat break out on his forehead, and he heard a monitor in the room complain.

"I told you to relax and get some sleep," the man's voice chided him, "People who got that close to dying shouldn't be getting headstrong so soon."

Ondori's eyes cracked open. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but his heart fluttered helplessly as his eyes met a pair that were lighter grey than Bya's and infused with more than a little surprise at seeing him move.

"Oh, a tough guy?" the man asked, giving him a heart melting smirk and touching the odd green and white striped hat he wore over his slightly mussed blonde hair, "But you're a Rukon boy, aren't you? A survivor. That's good, because if you had an ounce less moxie, you wouldn't be with us right now."

"B-bya?" the brothel owner managed.

He found the sudden softening in the man's eyes strangely endearing.

"Don't you worry about ol' Byakuya," he assured Ondori, "He's made of some seriously tough stuff. We don't call him the prettiest tank in the Gotei for nothing, you know. He gives new meaning to the word _durable_. He was pretty messed up, but Orihime hasn't met much that she can't heal, even deadly poison from that wicked cousin of Byakuya's."

"Kisho?"

"The boy? Oh, he's okay. Just got knocked around a little and scared out of his wits, seeing his dad get hurt like that. Well, that and he gave his spirit centers a pretty good shock, firing a kido spell like I'm hearing he did, with no training. He's got some spunk in him, like both his parents."

Ondori took a quick, soft breath as a damp washcloth cooled his face and throat and he managed a weak smile.

"Th-thanks."

"No problem," the man said good naturedly.

"Who are you?" Ondori managed, his voice shaking as weariness began to steal over him again.

The man arched an eyebrow.

"Are you still trying to talk? You know, you have no appreciation for what a job it was, keeping you alive. Glad to do it, though. I like a good challenge. And it's Urahara Kisuke, recently un-banished taicho, shinigami wise guy and I sell candy and novelties too. When you were delirious before, you said your name was Ondori? Is that true?"

"My name is Akira," Ondori said sleepily, "Ondori is an alias...I use when I am working."

"Oh," said Kisuke, narrowing his eyes cutely, "A spy?"

"I'm a prostitute. I own a brothel in Inuzuri," Ondori said, warmth flowing back into his body at the shopkeeper's startled reaction.

"Oh," he answered, a curious look in his slightly widened eyes, "And...you're a _friend_ of Byakuya's, you say? You know, after you rest and are feeling better, we have _got_ to talk, because I'll bet that's an interesting story, and I'm always looking for ways to tease our Byakuya-bo. But for now, I need you to close those pretty gems of yours and get some sleep. Dodging death requires recovery time, so shut'em or I'll shut'em for you."

Ondori made a sound of amusement and let his eyes slide shut. He felt Kisuke's hand curl around his wrist to check his pulse, the fingers holding on for a little longer than was actually required.

"I'm glad you didn't die, kiddo," Kisuke sighed, "I hate seeing good talent thrown away."

 _Who is this man?_

 _He is amazing!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya rested just beneath consciousness, weightless and unable to move, but deeply aware of the warm, familiar presence that had returned to his side after years of separation. He could feel the reassuring press of his lover's body against his side, the feeling of fingers being laced together with his, and a face that burrowed beneath his chin, breathing in his scent and sometimes shedding silent tears as he waited for Byakuya to move again.

 _I'm sorry for making you suffer like this. You've never done anything but love me honestly and openly, the only way you know how. Your heart was never stopped by other people's rules, and you've never felt any obligation to follow rules that didn't make sense to you. I should have recognized the gift in that. It had already saved Rukia and set me free of the unwise promises I made to follow the rules blindly. I complained about you being headstrong, but I wasn't any less stubborn in making the same mistakes, yet again. I knew the rules were unfair and I didn't agree with them, but like a slave to them, I tried to obey instead of realizing that there is no beauty in a life without you. And those rules that I clung to were senselessly rigid. I understand why they exist, but my heart knows that there are exceptions. You have always been an exception, Ichigo...no, exceptional._

 _I love you._

 _I wish my lips could move to tell you that. I want to brush away the tears you're crying over me. It's cruel being stuck in this place between awake and asleep. There isn't any rest, just knowing my mistakes made all of this happen._

 _I'm so sorry._

Byakuya's heart skipped painfully in his chest as he felt Ichigo's fingers brush against his face.

"What are you crying for?" Ichigo whispered in his ear, warming the soft earlobe with his breath and making the pale skin blush, "You're beating up on yourself, aren't you? Why do you do that? Stop it. We're still breathing and our hearts are still beating. Whatever's wrong between us, we'll find a way to fix it."

"I'm sorry, Ichigo," Byakuya managed, barely audibly, his voice weak and shaky, "I was stupid to let you go."

"That's okay," Ichigo chuckled, letting his fingers slide along Byakuya's soft cheek, "I was just as stupid to let you think for a minute that I would really leave you. If you hadn't disappeared that day, I might've held out a little while, but sooner or later, I would have realized that I can't leave you."

"I can't leave you either."

"But you did," Ichigo said, closing his eyes against the burning he felt in them, "You disappeared and no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find you. Everyone around me was sympathetic, you know? They tried to make me feel better, tried to tell me that I had to move on. But something wouldn't let me do that. I just... _know_ that this is right and I can't listen to anyone telling me it isn't. But even though I feel that way, I should have at least listened to you. You tried to think of my feelings, even when you thought you had to leave me...and I refused to hear anything you said. I'm not saying I should have left you. I'm just saying that I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you."

"Your anger was understandable," Byakuya answered wearily, "I wasn't listening to you either."

"Well, I think we're both ready to listen to each other, but we'll do it later, after you've rested. I just almost lost you all over again. Just be quiet and let me hold you, okay? I've got ten years of missing this to make up for."

Byakuya swallowed hard and shivered at the clinging weight of his ten years in exile.

"I may not have remembered you for the past ten years," he whispered, "but you were all that was missing from my life that I learned I couldn't live without."

"Stop it, all right?" Ichigo pleaded, "You really need to sleep. Don't worry. I'll stay right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Kisho?" Byakuya inquired, his voice wavering.

"He's fine. He got some bumps and bruises, and he fried his spirit centers a little firing kido spells that were beyond his level. But he's awake now and eating like a horse. The old healer and his wife brought your daughter here too. They've been in to see you, but you were still unconscious. I told them that they could come in and see you tomorrow, after everyone's rested."

"Ondori?" Byakuya inquired, earning a curious look from Ichigo before he realized his mistake and corrected himself, "Akira?"

"He's fine," Ichigo answered, "Kisuke and Orihime were able to counteract the poison in both of you. What's the story with you two anyway? Who is that guy?"

Byakuya paused, breathing slowly and seeing the man both as the younger Akira and older and wiser Ondori.

"He rescued me from the river and took care of me when I had nothing, not even clothing, Ichigo. He is a friend. If not for him, then I would have died."

Ichigo considered the words quietly for a moment.

"Then, he's my friend too."

"Ichigo, there are things about my life in Inuzuri that..."

He broke off as Ichigo's fingers touched his lips stayingly.

"Later. After you've rested, okay?" Ichigo chided him, "We'll work everything out then."

Byakuya sighed softly and nodded, curling closer to Ichigo and nuzzling his cheek.

"Ondori..." Ichigo mused, "Doesn't that mean...?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"That is his alias. He owns a brothel."

Byakuya opened his eyes and sought Ichigo's at the longer silence.

"O-oh," Ichigo managed, biting down on his tongue to hold back the obvious question, "Maybe we _should_ talk now."

"Good night, Ichigo."

"Oh man," the Shiba heir complained, "That is so _not_ fair!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Kurushimi sensed Tetsuya's presence in the training grounds beneath Urahara's shop, and he descended the long ladder to join him. He found the blue-eyed man standing close to a tall, black Arabian stallion and speaking quietly into the great beast's perked ear. He moved closer and the stallion's ears tilted in his direction.

"Tetsu-hana, who is this?" he asked curiously, "I didn't know you had a spirit steed."

"This is Arashi," Tetsuya explained, laying a hand on the horse's neck, "Arashi, this is Shima Kurushimi, third division taicho and leader of the Shima clan."

Arashi stretched out his long, graceful neck, sniffing at Kuri and observing him closely through eyes that were the same gemlike sapphire as Tetsuya.

"There is some very unique between the two of you," he surmised, "He is not a normal spirit steed, is he?"

"No," Tetsuya agreed, "Arashi is physically the same as one, but he wasn't born of other spirit steeds, he emerged from my soul."

"Is that so?" Kuri mused, gazing raptly at the two, "How?"

"You know that I was imprisoned for most of my youth in the noble's prison, Itamigiri?"

"Yes, and that Byakurai helped you escape," Kuri remembered.

"As we escaped the prison, we were attacked, and our enemies closed in around us. I don't know how exactly it happened. Byakuya-sama says that he believes that my will to protect us was far stronger than my body, and my zanpakuto gave me Arashi to answer the call of my will and protect me. He can use my powers and he is devoted to me."

"Where has he been?" Kuri asked, "Was he concealing himself, as you did when you protected your cousin?"

"No," Tetsuya explained, "When Orochi sealed my powers, Arashi was forcibly returned to my inner world. Only now that my powers are unsealed was he able to emerge and come back to me here."

"That was an ugly thing that snake put on you," Kuri spat.

"The years serving his sexual needs were worse," Tetsuya confessed, "Seeing me under his control and in pain excited him."

Kuri glowered.

" _Hijo de mil putas..._ " he muttered, earning a curious look from Tetsuya. (Son of a thousand bitches)

Kuri let out a soft, disgusted breath.

"Sorry. I just can't stand that kind of thing. He and Sasune should have been born brothers."

"They are supposedly cousins," Tetsuya said, tilting his head slightly, "but there were rumors about their fathers both being Kuchiki Isas..."

"I would buy that instantly," Kuri said, shaking his head, "I never understood Sasune's cruelty. He liked to cause me pain. When we were arranged to marry, I was still very young and naive. I thought that I was just doing things wrong and deserved what I was getting from him. He was a beautiful but treacherous man, just like his snake cousin-brother, ne?"

Tetsuya blushed and nodded.

"Well, we are free of those two now. What say we drink to their early demise, eh Tetsu-hana?" Kuri invited him, pulling a flask from within his clothes and taking a long swallow before offering it to his flustered looking friend.

"Ah...I am..."

"Oh, Tetsu-hana, just a swallow...to keep you warm, eh? It takes the edge off the bullshit we put up with. Go on."

"W-well, all right. Just a little, I suppose."

He paused and glanced at Arashi as the stallion snorted and stamped his foot disapprovingly. Kuri met the stallion's glinting eyes squarely.

"Don't worry," he said, his smile fading and his voice taking on a perfectly serious tone, "I will never disrespect our Tetsu-hana. I would rather be run through with my own sword."

Arashi exhaled through his nostrils and tossed his head as Tetsuya took a sip from the flask and sucked in a startled breath as it burned across his senses.

"You are not a drinker, Tetsu-hana?" Kuri said, his smile returning.

"No, not really," Tetsuya confessed, "Orochi said that sake was too fine to be wasted on me and when I tried it at a few weddings, I became dizzy after only a sip or two."

"How do you feel now?" Kuri asked, smirking.

"A little giddy," Tetsuya admitted, letting out a soft laugh.

Kuri moved in closer and slipped his arms around Tetsuya, looking into his slightly hazy eyes as he brought their lips together.

"And how do you feel now?" Kuri whispered.

"Like the ground just disappeared from under my feet," Tetsuya said breathlessly.

He surrendered easily to another, longer kiss, then felt Kuri's soft tongue sweep across his lips, gently requesting entry. His body relaxed in Kuri's embrace and he gave a little happy sigh as the Shima leader's tongue caressed his. When they parted, he was blushing furiously.

"You are a treasure, Tetsu-hana," Kuri breathed, nuzzling his soft cheek, "I think it's a crime that anyone has ever failed to see that in you."

"It's so strange that blood like mine even looks the same as theirs. Our faces look so similar and I act the way they do, but when they look at me, all they see is someone who doesn't belong," Tetsuya said sadly.

"Well, you will never hear those words from me. Never," Kuri promised, sinking deeply into Tetsuya's mouth again and holding him tightly, "Because these arms are a place where you will always belong. They will hold you lovingly and never cause you pain."

He started to kiss Tetsuya again, then paused as Arashi suddenly emitted an equine raspberry.

"Oh?" Kuri said, arching an eyebrow, "you don't believe me?"

Arashi's head tilted and he eyed the caramel skinned man suspiciously.

"It's okay if you don't trust me yet," Kuri said quietly, extending a hand and waiting as Arashi sniffed it and nodded before running his hand along the stallion's sleek neck and scratching him behind the ears, "Trust must earned, and that is difficult when someone's trust has already been violated."

 _You know the right words to say,_ a wispy voice spoke into Kuri's mind, _Just see that you never hurt him or there will be nowhere you can hide from me..._

Kuri gave a nervous laugh and Tetsuya looked at him in surprise.

"Did he speak to you?" he asked quickly.

"You didn't hear?" asked Kuri.

"No," Tetsuya answered, "That part isn't the surprising part. He was talking to you, not me. The surprising thing is that he trusted you enough to speak to you in the first place. Arashi rarely speaks to anyone but me. It means that he has a good feeling about you."

"And what about you, Tetsu-hana?" Kuri asked, "What feeling do you have about me?"

Tetsuya gave a little sigh and stepped into the circle of Kuri's warm, strong arms, resting his head on the Shima leader's shoulder as they kissed.

"That good, eh?" Kuri laughed softly.

"That good," Tetsuya whispered, as they kissed again.


	12. Inside Me

**Chapter 12: Inside Me**

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 **(Thanks so much for your lovely reviews! My appreciation to Parnita (Oh yes, that will be an interesting conversation!), The Youngest Gorgons (Yeah, I think Ondori and Kisuke seem to have some nice, funny chemistry.), AvellaAria (Aww, thanks so much! I am looking forward to some peace and thoughtful reflection.), Hisuiryuu (And there will be some lovely, warm moments to balance the necessary angst as Byakuya rebuilds his life. :) It's good their little family is finally together.), GrimmIchisgrl (It's cute how even though Ichigo fights and has responsibilities of an older person, he is still on the young side and acts out...cutely sometimes!), Shima-Taicho31 (There will be some lovely Ichi/Bya interactions soon, but the elephant in the room has to be addressed. Ichigo will have to hear some uncomfortable news and Byakuya will be shocked at what he learns during their discussion about one of the consequences of his personal choices.), Ctofi1 (Aww, I'm so glad you liked the chapter!), AliciaJenHavens (Oh, I must have given the wrong impression. I'm going on vacation, but writing is like breathing to me, so I won't stop publishing. ;) I think my muse would self-destruct.), Anarane-Sensei (This is one of my all time favorite stories ever, because it just pours out of my imagination and I have trouble stopping to breathe.), Frost2351 (I love exploring characters by playing them off of other characters, and the three couples in this have some amazing chemistry. I am having a hoot turning them this way and that, and being surprised myself by what happens as they interact. It's kind of like the characters are driving what happens with their choices an reactions and I'm just along, jotting down what happens.), Kenni-bun bun (Arashi is fun because he represents Tetsuya's more willful side that he spends much of his time subverting.), Jazzybella (I'm so happy you are enjoying the story! And the relationships are what really make it special. That's part of why I enjoy doing stories that are based on others of my stories, but altering the couplings. The base of this story and my story, _Unscattered_ , are the same, but the results are tantalizingly different!), Adalie Delacroix (No one can stop the Spunky writing machine! Writing is a natural extension of my being.), BloodyRose-97 (Thank you for your suggestions. :) I went back and reread/improved Chapter 9, thanks to those helpful perspectives. We're all here to learn, right?), EzratheBlue (Heh, I think I'm why the site keeps flaking out...yeah, I put a strain on the systems posting like I do!) and RedCrow (I am on the job! More updates soon!) Love you all, Spunky)**

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Tetsuya's mind returned slightly out of the spin it had gone into, and he found himself being carried up, out of the training grounds, down the hallway of Urahara Kisuke's home and shop, and into the room he had been given for their stay in the living world. His head still rested on Kuri's shoulder and his arms held onto the Shima leader as he was carried to his bed and laid down. There was a long moment where Kuri stood, looking down into his dazed eyes with a deeply affectionate expression, then he bent and kissed Tetsuya on the forehead before wishing him a good night and starting to leave.

"Kuri-kuri-sama," Tetsuya whispered sleepily

Kuri paused, facing away from the achingly beautiful mixed blood Kuchiki and struggling to force his frozen feet to move.

"Won't you stay with me?"

"Oh, _mi corazòn_ ," Kuri breathed, turning back and gazing down at Tetsuya, "you have no idea what you are asking for! I didn't know you were being serious about getting drunk on a few sips. I've seen a few men who could not hold their liquor, but you redefine the term, _lightweight_ , Tetsu-hana. And I am not going to stay here and take advantage of you being drunk on tequila and unable to focus enough to decide what you want. Arashi wouldn't just kill me, my heart would stop beating just to spite me for being so selfish. I can wait until you are sober to seduce you, my love. I don't need to do this to wear you down."

"I know," Tetsuya answered, giving him a heart melting smile, "We don't have to make love. We can just get to know each other."

"You mean you want to tease me?" Kuri asked, grinning, "I don't know if I should let you. You know how you are with liquor? That is how I am with the temptation you offer me. I look at you and my heart won't beat properly. I get dizzy like I'm drunk and I can't think straight. I don't want to move too quickly and hurt you, Tetsu-hana. Only recently, you were in your cousin's bed and being abused. I don't know how you can be ready to be loved the way I would love you. I am not a violent man, but I am passionate. A man's passions can be frightening to someone who is not used to being loved that way."

"I'm not afraid," Tetsuya insisted, "I trust you."

"That is the drink talking," Kuri reasoned, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking Tetsuya's hands in his as the blue-eyed man sat up and faced him.

"It isn't. It is making me dizzy, but I know how I feel about you. I trust you and I want you to kiss and touch me."

Tetsuya pulled free of him and turned away to look out the window at the lovely moon.

"Orochi's hatred is a poison as fierce as the one that is in the snakes of his zanpakuto. Every time he has touched me, the poison of his hatred has filled me and burned me inside, as his touches made my body numb all over. Even when I escaped him this time, I still felt like his prisoner because I was still numb from his poison. But your kisses and touches are healing, Kuri-kuri-sama. Every kiss and every touch melts away a little of the ice in my heart. The ice melts slowly, so I must not be hasty in giving myself to you. But we can have a beginning. Just...don't go. Stay with me tonight. Hold me against you and let me know the love of a person who possesses an actual heart. I haven't had that since my Naoki held me over a hundred years ago. Being made Orochi's slave again only made the loneliness I felt double. It's such a weight when I try to sleep. The only thing that seems to lift that weight is being held by you."

"Ah," Kuri sighed, shaking his head ruefully, "You know just how to play on my heart, Tetsu-hana."

Tetsuya smiled as Kuri joined him in the bed, and the two laid back down. Tetsuya snuggled close to the caramel skinned man nuzzling his cheek until Kuri couldn't help but kiss him.

"Oh Tetsu-hana," Kuri sighed, closing his eyes as they continued to kiss and let their hands roam all over each other, " _Eres tú y ángel o un demonio_?" (Are you an angel or a devil?)

He felt a happy shiver and his nether region warmed as Tetsuya nuzzled under his chin, tasting the soft flesh of his throat. Kuri captured a blushing earlobe and treasured it gently, sending the flush spreading over Tetsuya's lovely face with his next words.

" _Te amo, pero no está listo para mi amor. Por qué no puedo contener mi amor por ti, Tetsu-hana? El amor es como una fiebre, me quema todo. Pero lograr que la lluvia fría para calmar mi cuerpo y calentar mi corazón_." (I love you, but you are not ready for my love. Why can't I hold back my love for you, Tetsu-hana? Love is like a fever, burning me all over. But you bring cool rain to soothe my body and warm my heart.)

He let out a deeper sigh and watched as Tetsuya kissed his way down the Shima heir's lovely caramel torso, his blue eyes tranquil and his pretty mouth devouring and pleasuring heedlessly.

"Do you want to know what words I said?" he asked.

Tetsuya gave him a knowing smile.

"If you want to tell me," he answered, continuing his warm ministrations, "But no matter what the words are, my heart knows what is beneath them. I am safe with you and we are falling in love. That is plain enough."

Kuri caught his breath softly as Tetsuya's pretty pink tongue dipped into his navel, teasing it shamelessly before trailing more kisses that followed the fine, dark hairs downward to his hungry, waiting member. He bit at his lips and loosed mingled sigh and groan of arousal as Tetsuya's warm breath teased him there.

"Eh," Kuri panted, "m-maybe you should stop before you..."

His words stopped in a gasp as Tetsuya's mouth made contact and began a thrilling stimulation.

"¡ _Dios mío! Su boca es pecaminoso, Tetsu-hana_!" (My god! Your mouth is sinful, Tetsu-hana!)

He moaned loudly and spread his thighs wider, inviting a more spirited exploration. In moments, only Tetsuya's firm grasp kept him from an explosive release. An aggressive exclamation of frustration escaped him. Then suddenly, the pressure released and his body instantly went into heavy shudders as he loosed a helpless scream of intense pleasure. Bright stars exploded behind his eyes and his vision dimmed, leaving him motionless for several minutes while Tetsuya laid between his thighs, soothing him with gentle touches and slowly enjoying his loosed release. When he could move again, he dragged Tetsuya up to plunder his mouth eagerly, enjoying their mingled flavors as he slid a hand down to return the offered pleasure.

His lips frowned and his brow furrowed at finding his lovely partner's warm genitals still soft and unmoved. He hesitated and Tetsuya shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"¿ _Que es esto_?" he mused. (What is this?)

Tetsuya gave him a guarded look and searched for the right words.

"The truth is...I don't know what's wrong exactly," he confessed, blushing, "but it may be the sexual training Orochi made me submit to years ago in the prison. It may be a kind of hypnosis he used or maybe a poison he used his zanpakuto to infuse me with. It may just be that to defy him, I did this to myself. Many times, he has punished me for not even being able to respond to him. For whatever reason, I am...unable to react sexually."

Anger and disgust flooded Kuri's expressive face.

"There are no words to express what I would like to do to that man," Kuri said heatedly.

He gave Tetsuya a sympathetic look and embraced him comfortingly, "He begins to make Sasune resemble a human being, and that is saying something."

He shook his head and a very little smirk came over his face.

"Kuri-kuri-sama?" Tetsuya inquired, looking at him through curious blue eyes.

"Well, there is only one honorable thing to do then," the Shima leader decided, running his fingers through the rebellious waves of Tetsuya's hair and seeking his nether region with a determined hand, "I swear I won't take my pleasure of you until I can break the curse on you and offer you the same pleasure."

"Kuri-kuri-sama!" Tetsuya exclaimed, blushing more fiercely.

"Just realize," Kuri whispered in his ear, smirking, "since I will break the spell on you, that makes me your prince and it means..."

"I will belong to you?" Tetsuya reasoned, a little flicker of wariness stealing into his heart at the words.

"No," Kuri answered, kissing his flushed cheek, "it means that, from now on, we will only give our love...to each other."

"Are you sure you can break the spell?" asked Tetsuya, watching as Kuri's hand caressed him.

"Tetsu-hana, you insult me," Kuri chuckled, "I will see you in orgasm...or I will die trying!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya laid in comfort, in a clean, soft bed, wrapped in crisp sheets and warmed blankets, his naked body lying open to his lover, and he felt his mind begin to retreat as Ichigo's hands roamed the curves of his torso and sought his nether region.

"Are you all right?" Ichigo asked, "You kinda started to zone out for a second there. Is something wrong?"

Byakuya felt a twinge of guilt and swallowed hard, meeting Ichigo's inquisitive brown eyes and trying to find the right words.

"I am sorry," he apologized.

"Will you stop doing that?" Ichigo chided him, "You don't have to say that every time I notice something different from before. It's been ten years. That's a long time to be apart. And maybe it's changed us a little. But we have time to figure things out now. Just explain it to me and we'll talk about it."

 _How do I tell him?_

 _I might have been able to confess what I am when I didn't know who I was._

 _But..._

"What is it?" Ichigo persisted, "I can tell something's really eating away at you."

Byakuya hesitated, letting the words sink in and searching for some kind of response.

 _How does a prince, a noble clan leader confess to becoming a prostitute of the low Rukongai? It's the truth. It's what I am. Whatever my reasons, I chose that path and I have to live with the consequences, even if I lose everything because of it._

 _I can't hide from this anymore._

"I think I know what you're worried about telling me," Ichigo said suddenly, startling Byakuya into meeting his eyes and sending a feeling of humiliation through him.

He started to apologize again, but his words were stopped with a melting kiss.

"Go ahead and tell me," Ichigo invited him, tracing the frown on his lips, "Get it over with so that you don't have to worry about what I'll think anymore."

Byakuya tried to pull free of him, but Ichigo shifted his weight, holding Byakuya down and looking into his eyes steadily with the bodies pressed together.

"Don't try to distance yourself. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Byakuya assured him, "I've just never said it out loud. I had two lives in Inuzuri, much like I had two lives as a noble clan leader."

"How's that?" Ichigo asked, running his fingers along the points of tension on Byakuya's tormented face and soothing them.

"You know that I always had to act the part of an honorable and devoted aristocratic son," Byakuya explained.

Ichigo nodded in agreement.

"Except that you always found ways to follow your heart."

"Once you came into my life and forced me to see that I was living a lie and had to find a way to serve my family and king without losing myself. It was a painful lesson. But when I fell into the river that day, I lost the part of myself that had learned that lesson. And when faced with letting Kisho and myself starve and endure the bitter cold of winter with no means to shelter ourselves, I resorted to creating another kind of double life, playing the part of Kisho's honorable and pure hearted father on the surface, while earning money by allowing strangers to play out their sometimes sick and cruel fantasies on my body. I was lucky to have Ondori to ensure I was protected somewhat from the dangers of the profession, but although I could be that desperate person, doing such things, then go home and continue to pretend to be a good example to my son, I cannot mesh that life with the one that I left behind...the one that includes a lover I have betrayed and a noble family who will have to live in fear that my double life will be exposed publicly. And if you think it won't, think again. Orochi recognized Ondori."

Byakuya paused, staring raptly into Ichigo's eyes and steeling himself. His humiliation only intensified as he realized the admission had left his weakened body shaking softly. Ichigo continued to hold his gaze, letting the words sink in and forcing himself not to answer immediately. Byakuya sensed hurt beneath the surface of Ichigo's thoughtful expression and he suddenly felt the weight of distance that had opened up between them. He couldn't make himself speak as the moments stretched out into minutes and still Ichigo remained carefully silent. Finally, he let out a heavy breath and squeezed Byakuya's hand.

"Thank you," he said quietly, "for being honest with me. That can't have been easy."

Byakuya looked back at him wordlessly, only waiting for his heart to be broken.

"But, you shouldn't feel like you betrayed me," Ichigo said, making him blink and stare in surprise, "My last words to you that day were that I was leaving you. We weren't lovers after that. And even if we were, you wouldn't have been able to consciously betray me, because you didn't remember anything."

"That doesn't change how I feel about it," Byakuya insisted, "I look at you now and I can feel the pain it causes you. You can't hide that from me."

Ichigo gave him a tentative smile.

"Okay, I admit it," he said more softly, flushing as he continued, "It kills me to think of you having sex with anyone else. But the truth is...it isn't just jealously. It's mostly because you were the first...the _only_ person I ever considered letting... _inside me_."

Byakuya gave him a confused look.

"Ichigo, I know I may still be missing a few facts, but I do remember that I always allowed you inside me. And I never asked to penetrate you because I knew you weren't ready to lower your pride that much."

"I wasn't being prideful!" Ichigo snapped, betraying more vehemence than he meant to, "I just...I'd never been in a relationship and you'd had Hisana and penetrated her, so I...I felt like making love to you that way, it kept us...I don't know. I felt like it made us different than you and her. I felt kind of intimidated because of how you kept that shrine to her and talked to her picture."

Byakuya took in a deeper breath of realization and colored.

"Ichigo, if you were feeling worried about my lingering feelings about Hisana, then why did you never once say that to me?"

"I don't know," Ichigo confessed, his face flushing, "I guess I was afraid it meant that you were still in love with her."

"Hisana is dead, Ichigo," Byakuya said quietly.

"Yeah, I know. But you remember her...and you...remember being with her, right?"

Byakuya paused, measuring his words carefully.

"I was never with Hisana sexually," he confessed finally, watching as Ichigo's eyes widened questioningly.

He paused, gathering himself.

"I think it's time I explain about her, and about Ondori."

Ichigo gazed at him silently, nodding for him to continue.

"Years ago, I served a tour of duty in the low Rukongai. I was fukutaicho of the sixth division at the time, and my cousin, Orochi, was a seated officer under my command for the mission. One day, I had to leave the unit to reconnoiter, as was required by the rules, and I left Orochi in charge. I returned that night to find Orochi abusing a Rukongai teen..."

"Ondori?" Ichigo inquired.

"Yes, although he was using his given name, Akira, at the time. As I said, I discovered Orochi abusing him and a number of my men attacking his female cousin. Orochi claimed that the two had entered the camp, offering sex in exchange for food and money, and that Akira had attacked him. Orochi stabbed him, injuring him as he tried to protect his cousin."

"Hisana?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Yes. By the time I stopped what was happening, Akira was badly injured and Hisana had been assaulted by several of the men. As the commanding officer, I saw it as an extreme failure in my leadership to allow men under my leadership to abuse the very people we had come to protect. As I was healing Akira, he pleaded with me to take Hisana out of Inuzuri and never to allow her to return. He disappeared from the camp, but Hisana was too badly hurt to leave, so I continued to care for her personally. As my tour of duty came to an end, we learned that Hisana had been impregnated by one of her rapists, and that knowledge burned even more deeply when the healers told me that, not only was she too weak to deliver a child, the assault and the already present child had damaged her to the point that she would never fully recover...even after the pregnancy was aborted."

"Damn," Ichigo said, lowering his eyes, "that's horrible."

"I felt responsible for not controlling my men, so I took Hisana home and went before the elders, telling them that although the laws of the clan said marrying a commoner was a sin, I was going to do it anyway. I didn't explain and let them assume it was that I was in love with her. But, Hisana was too ill to be loved, especially by a powerful shinigami. As it was, I had to carefully hold back my reiatsu while I was in her presence to avoid suffocating her. Even if I had loved her that way, she wouldn't have been able to endure my affections. In any case, we did marry and lied that we had consummated the marriage. We became very close friends. She was...a respite from the pressures of my responsibilities. She understood and accepted my obligations, while encouraging me to listen to my heart more. Her kindness and gentleness reminded me of my lost father, which only bound me to her more firmly as the years passed and she grew more and more ill. Finally, she passed from life and the reality closed in around me again."

"Then, I came along and turned your life upside down," Ichigo sighed.

"You did," Byakuya agreed, "And I found I needed you desperately. It was easy giving in to you and submitting to your affections because of what you were able to do. You freed me from my foolish promises and opened my eyes. Then, you stopped Aizen's plans and saved Soul Society. And when I was cut down by the quincy, As Nodt and on my last breaths, it was you who comforted me with the knowledge that the quincies would lose in the end, and Soul Society would again be saved by you."

"I was kind of a prick," Ichigo remembered, shaking his head, "I was so pissed at what Ywach had done, I didn't even answer you."

"Of course you did," Byakuya countered calmly, "You turned immediately to the battle to defend the things most precious to me. My own body was near death and unable to move, but you made yours move instead, and you did what I could not, protected what I could not."

Ichigo smiled sadly.

"Then, why wouldn't you marry me? If I did all of that and you were so grateful and in love with me, why didn't you marry me? Was it really all about the rules, or was there something more going on that you couldn't talk to me about?"

Byakuya went silent for a few moments, searching for the right way of explaining.

"It was about the clan rules, which are strict in regards to rules of clan succession," he concluded, "but it was also partly because...after submitting to your will in battle, after letting you take on my responsibility to defend Soul Society and my loved ones, as well as becoming equally submissive in our bed, I didn't feel like your equal."

"What?" Ichigo mused, "Byakuya, how could you think something like that?"

"What was I supposed to think when, every time you came to me, I bared myself and made myself completely vulnerable to you...and in all of the time we were together, you never once offered me the same. My natural conclusion was that, even though you loved me, you saw my inadequacy...as a brother to Rukia, as a fighter and as a lover. And I agree, you are superior to me in every way. That's why I couldn't help loving you."

"Byakuya, that's bullshit and you know it!" Ichigo yelled, sitting up as Byakuya pulled free of him, "I _never_ thought I was better than you!"

"But you are," Byakuya insisted, "And what happened in Inuzuri after my fall into the river and the loss of my memory only proves it."

"Don't say that! It's not true!" Ichigo shouted, taking him by the shoulders and glaring at him, "How can you think that?"

The two men froze as the bedroom door suddenly opened and Kisho ran into the room. He skidded to a stop, staring at the two men in the bed who were only barely covered by the rumpled bedding.

"Kisho," Byakuya managed in a stunned voice.

"Sh-shiba-sama...Ichigo-sama," the boy stammered uncertainly, "why are you yelling at my dad?"

He turned his eyes onto Byakuya, noticing the barely restrained tears and tortured expression.

"Dad," he said shakily, "did he...hurt you?"

"No," Byakuya answered quickly, blinking to clear his eyes, "He was just..."

"It's not his fault that he had to take money from people at Ondori-san's brothel," Kisho said, righteous anger flooding his grey eyes.

"Kisho," Byakuya gasped, his face paling, "how do you even know about that? Did someone tell you?"

Kisho shook his head as tears leaked onto his face.

"I...I know it was wrong, b-but I was scared for you. A man c-came to our house once. H-he was looking for you and he...he offered to..."

"Oh kami, Kisho, tell me he didn't hurt you!" Byakuya whispered, going white and breathless.

"I ran away," Kisho confessed, "and the next time you left, I followed you...to see if what he said about you was true. I couldn't tell you. I was afraid, so I pretended not to know..."

Byakuya stared back at his crying son, unable to move or make a sound. Kisho sniffed, barely holding his composure as he picked up Byakuya's yukata from where it laid over a chair by the bed, then moved to his side and wrapped it around him, then hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry you had to do that, Dad," he sobbed, burying his face in Byakuya's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault," Byakuya assured him, hugging him back and sliding his fingers through the boy's tousled hair.

"But it was," Kisho insisted, "The man who came to our house said one thing that was true. He said that it made sense what you were doing, once he saw me. He said that you wouldn't have to b-be a who...a... _that_...if...you didn't have to take care of me too! And he's right. You didn't have any powers. You wouldn't have needed so much to have food and..."

"Stop," Byakuya whispered in his son's ear, regaining a measure of calmness in response to his son's obvious needs, "You are never to take responsibility for any of that. A parent's responsibility is to care for his child. I chose an improper path and there are consequences for that. But you shouldn't take such weight on your heart, Kisho. I am an adult. You are just..."

"You're a good person and you're a noble heir," Ichigo said suddenly, shocking the two back into reality, "Even though he didn't know who he was, Byakuya taught you to be caring, strong and protective...like he is."

Kisho turned in Byakuya's arms to look up at Ichigo.

"Do you love my dad?" he asked, rubbing at the tears on his face.

Ichigo gave the two a sad smile.

"Yeah. I love Byakuya. That's never been the problem. But, like you see, he's really stubborn sometimes. I got angry at him and yelled at him, but you have to know I would never hurt him, not ever."

"What's going to happen to us, now that that man tried to kill us?" Kisho asked in a shaky voice, "Where will we go now?"

Byakuya swallowed hard.

"I don't know."

Ichigo shook his head firmly.

"You'll come to the Shiba estate in the Seireitei," he answered, his eyes silently challenging Byakuya to object.

But Byakuya only shivered and continued to hold Kisho against him.

"I'm going to help Byakuya regain his powers, and then he's going to make sure that the man who attacked the two of you never tries to do that again!"


	13. Rebuilding from the Heart

**Chapter 13: Rebuilding from the Heart**

 **(A very Happy Valentines Day to all! Here's something warm, sweet and gooey to get you off to a perfect start! Love, Spunky)**

Byakuya looked up from where he laid in bed and watched as the door handle turned and the door to the guest room opened. Ichigo passed through the doorway, wearing a calm expression, half-smiling as he climbed back into the bed. The two exchanged a kiss of greeting and laid down together, Byakuya curling into Ichigo's strong arms and resting his head on the Shiba heir's offered shoulder.

"Thank you for going and talking to Kisho," Byakuya said gratefully, "I think it's important that the two of you become better acquainted. Although it couldn't be helped, I feel badly that you were deprived of being there when our son was born, and through the earliest years of his life. It certainly wasn't the way I would have expected our child to grow up."

"Well, what happened can't really be helped," Ichigo said, running his hand down Byakuya's bare back and caressing his soft bottom, "The important thing is that we're together now, and I'm going to take care of the two of you."

He paused and smiled, correcting himself.

"I mean, the three of you. After I talked to Kisho, I helped tuck Kiwa in."

"Was she all right?" Byakuya asked, "She's been through quite a lot, losing her family, then nearly losing Kisho and me as well."

"She's all right, but she's in with Kisho because she was kind of afraid of the dark and didn't want to be alone. When I left, they were giggling and talking, so I just told them not to stay up all night."

"It's good for Kiwa to feel close to Kisho," Byakuya concluded, "and Kisho will benefit from having something to distract him away from his worries."

"I feel kind of bad for upsetting him," Ichigo said apologetically, "He really worries about you a lot."

"More even than I had realized," Byakuya agreed, "A young boy shouldn't have such weight on his heart."

"Well, I worry about you too," said Ichigo, nuzzling under Byakuya's chin and kissing the soft, pale flesh of his throat, "You've been through a lot also. I'm sorry about kind of losing it before. I just never realized that you thought that way about yourself. But...thinking on it a little while I was talking to Kisho, I started to see how it's always kind of been there between you and me, but it was something I didn't understand and so it didn't really get dealt with. Anyway, I'm glad you finally told me. At least now, we can deal with things and move forward."

Byakuya gave him a conflicted smile.

"And what does that mean, Ichigo?" he asked quietly, "You made it sound like you have a vision for our future...one that includes me regaining my powers and defeating my cousin, Orochi, but then what?"

"What do you think?" Ichigo said, looking into his eyes, "You're going to regain leadership of your clan. I don't know exactly how that works, but I do know that Orochi doesn't have any right to be acting like the clan leadership belongs to him."

"You are actually correct in that," Byakuya agreed, "When it was thought that I was dead, it was acceptable for the Kuchiki elders to select from among the clan, the strongest and most capable son or daughter to succeed me. As much as I may despise him and as unworthy as he may be, Orochi is powerful, and his father, Isas, has made sure that he was groomed for leadership...at least, what he viewed as leadership. But with Isas and his kin, leadership is a kind of domination. I am sure that while the elders made the best decision they could under the circumstance, they are probably divided on how they feel about his leadership. According to Tetsuya, Orochi has been called before the council several times to be questioned about the treatment of his servants and some public actions he has taken. The elders have some concerns about him, and many, even most of them will welcome my return. At least until Orochi exposes what he learned about my occupation in Inuzuri."

"Well, how can they blame you for any of that?" Ichigo asked, "You didn't even know who you were. You were desperate and Akira was the only one there for you."

"Yes, well, as much as the elders may understand what I did and why, they have to consider how that will play out in the public eye. And that can affect their decisions. But a few things are clear choices. First, my bloodline is greater than Orochi's. If I am alive, I must be acknowledged, even if the elders ask me to step down and allow Kisho to ascend now."

"They'd let a ten-year-old kid lead them?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "A kid they've never even met? Really? That's a little crazy, if you ask me. But having had to deal with even our elders at home, I'm getting used to it being that way."

Byakuya nuzzled his cheek and Ichigo met him for several long kisses.

"Kisho wouldn't actually be leading on his own," he explained, "I would act as his regent until he was old enough. The concern of the council that might lead them to support that option is the possibility of exposure of my profession in Inuzuri, as well as my loss of powers. Such things would harm the image of our clan in the eyes of the other clans.

"Right," Ichigo said, scowling, "It's always about how it's going to make them look. Forget for a moment that Orochi attacked you, back then and also now. That guy isn't good for the clan and they know it."

"But Orochi has carefully positioned himself to be able to manipulate them," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "He has positioned himself carefully to thwart me from resuming leadership."

"Well, we aren't going to be thwarted," Ichigo insisted, nipping at Byakuya's soft lips.

Byakuya's frown deepened, and he met Ichigo's eyes questioningly.

"Incidentally, would you mind telling me how you plan for me to challenge Orochi?"

"Well, you've already told me that your bloodline is greater than his. You have the right to be leader over him, don't you?"

"I do," Byakuya agreed, "I could return right now and reclaim my place, if I chose to do so. The problem is that I would then have to endure a council investigation of my absence and a full evaluation for fitness to lead."

"You mean, they could take the leadership away from you?" Ichigo asked.

"If I was deemed mentally for physically unfit for the position, they could declare me unfit and allow Kisho, provided _he_ is fit, to ascend. I think the council will determine that I am, at present, mentally fit. However, they may have concerns about my physical fitness."

"You mean, because your powers aren't working yet?" Ichigo posited, "That's not really fair, since you were injured, and you just need help to regain them."

"I can certainly place that issue before the council, during their assessment and they may accept it. However, I think the better choice is for me to work at regaining my powers before returning. Now, the council has heard about me surviving, and they have also heard there is an heir. They will probably summon me to appear before them. I must go immediately when I am summoned, and they will speak to me before ordering an assessment of my fitness. I can delay that assessment for up to thirty days, but then, I must return. And if I am unable to bring at least a shikai, they will probably opt to have Kisho ascend immediately."

"Well," Ichigo said determinedly, "we'll just have to get your shikai up by then."

"You assume I will be able to do so, but you need to realize, Ichigo, when my life was threatened by Orochi in Inuzuri and I asked my blade to lend me power, the spirit in the sword tried to assist me, but we were not able to connect effectively. The power failed and I was easily defeated."

"Well, it was the first time you tried, right?" Ichigo pointed out.

"It was," Byakuya agreed.

"And you've got Kisuke and me helping you out now. Byakuya, you are going to get your powers back and you can go and tell those old farts to go and blow themselves. Then, when you've got your full strength, you can go and whip Orochi's ass and this will be over."

Byakuya paused and gave him a measured look.

"Ichigo, may I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

A moment of silence opened up between them.

"Before...when you were speaking to Kisho, you told him that I would go back and do these things."

"Uh-huh."

"But you know that I am currently powerless and have a long way to go before even thinking of such a thing. I would have expected you to say that _you_ were going to, how shall I say it... _kick his ass_ , yourself. And yet, you purposefully said it would be me."

"That's right," Ichigo agreed, "That's what I said. Are you wondering why?"

"Yes. It isn't something I would expect you to say. You are used to protecting everyone yourself. And you are undoubtedly stronger than me. Why then, would you purposely tell our son that I would be the one to face Orochi and put him in his place?"

Ichigo gave him a little smile.

"I would have thought you'd get that immediately," he answered, "I told Kisho that, because it's not my battle to fight. It's yours."

"But I am not..."

"Byakuya," Ichigo said, sitting up and bringing his lover up with him, "you just finished telling me that you have always felt like you weren't my equal."

"I am not."

"But you are!" Ichigo insisted, taking his hands, "You of all people should know that being equal to someone isn't all about strength. You don't have to be able to beat me in a fight to be loved by me or to love me. We don't have to compete. You didn't feel a need to compete with Hisana, and she didn't have to compete with you."

"I told you that Hisana and I..."

"I know, but I was just making a point. Two people don't have to be the same level to have an equal relationship. What was between us before and what's between us now, isn't about who is stronger. It never has been. You just...for some reason, you focused on that and you got it into your head that I looked down on you. You have to know that's not true. I mean, think about how we met. When we met, you could suffocate me with your reiatsu. You cut me down in a heartbeat. There was no question who was stronger then."

"But you were determined to help Rukia," Byakuya remembered, "and you knew that, to protect her..."

"I had to aim my blade at you," Ichigo recalled, "It was one of the scariest things I ever faced in my life. I was so afraid of you then, I would shake if I just thought of fighting you."

"But Ichigo, that was all before you found your true strength," Byakuya reminded him, touching his face and kissing him, "You only needed to find your potential."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "and now, you need to do the same thing. Byakuya, you can get your powers back and you can take back what belongs to you. And because I love you and respect you, I will do what I can to help you do that. But it's your battle."

"And if I lose? Are you willing to face the consequences if I am not strong enough?" Byakuya asked softly, "You would be hurt, Kisho and Kiwa would be hurt and Orochi would be allowed to keep his chokehold on the clan."

Ichigo's lips tightened and he shook his head firmly.

"You're not going to let that happen," he insisted, "I know you're not."

Byakuya paused, looking more closely at Ichigo.

"You...really believe I can do this?" he asked tentatively, "You would rest our fates on this?"

Ichigo let out a long sigh and nodded.

"Byakuya, I know that I didn't do things right before. I was so busy pushing you to be with me, I forgot that our relationship wasn't just about me and what I wanted."

Byakuya gave him an apologetic look.

"You weren't being selfish, Ichigo, you were fighting for us. You were right that I should have fought to keep us together as well."

"Maybe," Ichigo agreed, "but I should have listened to you. I should have just...I don't know. It shouldn't have been about convincing you. If I had made you feel like it was us against them and not me against them, maybe...I don't know, maybe you wouldn't have decided to break up with me. Maybe the reason you didn't fight for us was because I made you feel like you were less than me. And by not working together with you, I just made you feel more like that."

Byakuya smiled and squeezed Ichigo's hands.

"That is all in the past," he assured him, "I see now that I was unwise to focus on our differences in powers. That isn't what loving you was about. I love your strength, but I also love you for everything else about you."

"And I love you for all of the great things about you too," Ichigo assured him, "I was stupid before, and I messed things up."

"I was equally at fault," Byakuya insisted.

"Yeah. Okay, we both screwed up and we got separated for a long time," Ichigo agreed, "But we're together now. We've gotten everything out in the open. The only thing left to do is for me to show you that I'm ready to be an equal partner. I'm ready to hold up my end of _us_."

Byakuya gave him a curious frown.

"What do you mean?" he asked, shaking his head, "You came to Inuzuri and you saved Kisho and me from Orochi's treachery. I think you're more than holding up your end. If someone isn't, it is certainly me."

"Shut up, will you?" Ichigo chuckled, kissing him, "I'm trying to say that I'm sorry for not showing you how much I love you and respect you. I let you feel inferior to me, and there's no way I'm going to let you go on thinking that."

Byakuya's heart skipped in his chest and he looked back at Ichigo wordlessly as the smiling Shiba heir laid him on his back and opened their clothing.

"Ichigo, you don't have to do this to prove anything to me. You said you didn't think of me that way, and I believe you. And something like this...it should be because you want to, not because I made you feel obligated."

"Shh," Ichigo shushed him, taking Byakuya's hands and slipping three slender, graceful fingers into his mouth, "I don't feel obligated. I feel honored."

"To be taken by a Rukongai prostitute?" Byakuya sighed, "You need to have your head examined. You should at least wait until I regain my position as the Kuchiki leader. Or are you afraid I will die in the attempt and you won't get the chance?"

"Stop it, okay?" Ichigo laughed, licking and sucking on Byakuya's fingers, slowly bathing them in his saliva, "You're Kuchiki Byakuya, rightful leader of the Kuchiki clan. And I'm the guy who loves you and is ready to show that."

"Ichigo..."

"Shh," Ichigo insisted, guiding Byakuya's fingers down to his nether region and parting his thighs.

He sank deep into Byakuya's mouth to stop his words, making little sounds of arousal as Byakuya's fingers penetrated him and began a slow preparation. Byakuya watched Ichigo's expressive face as his fingers moved, making the handsome Shiba heir pant and move his hips to deepen the contact. He caught his breath sharply and stiffened in reaction as Byakuya's fingers found the sensitive nerves inside him and stimulated them gently. And before he could finish the preparation, Ichigo shifted and pushed his hand away.

"It's enough!" he panted huskily in Byakuya's ear, making the soft lobe blush, "I want you, Byakuya!"

"Then," Byakuya whispered back, "I am yours!"

He turned suddenly, bringing Ichigo down onto his back and pushing his thighs farther apart. Ichigo's arms looped around his neck as Byakuya positioned himself, then worked his way slowly inside, joining them. Ichigo bit at his lips and flinched at his lover's impressive size, then settled, looking up into Byakuya's deep grey eyes.

"I missed you so much!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Just don't go away again, okay?"

"I won't leave you," Byakuya promised, "I love you. And I promise that when I face Orochi, I won't lose to him."

"Baka," Ichigo chuckled, panting harder as Byakuya's hips moved, "I know that. You think I don't know how strong my lover is? Do I look that stupid?"

"You look radiant," Byakuya breathed in his ear, earning a deeper, erotic groan of surrender.

Their words disappeared into a heavy barrage of heated thrusts and passionate caresses that made the world around them disappear and left them suspended in a warm, lovely abyss. They writhed hungrily against each other, forgetting everything except the connection that roared back to life between them. Amidst the chaotic exchange, Ichigo pulled away and rolled onto his belly, raising his hips and moaning loudly as Byakuya stretched out along his back and entered him from behind. They finished their coupling in a fiery salvo of fierce undulations, their fingers laced together and clawing at the bedding as the very air around them seemed to explode and their bodies shuddered and voices sounded loudly together in completion. They collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily and their bodies still shaking, sweat dampening their skin and their eyes locked as they finished with a flurry of warm, wet kisses. They laid quietly afterward, curled into each others' arms and not wanting to move.

Ichigo rose slowly out of a haze of blissful satedness, and observed Byakuya's calm, peaceful expression. For a while, he just laid silently, breathing slowly and running his fingers through his lover's soft, silken hair.

"Can I confess something to you?" he asked, nuzzling under Byakuya's chin and nipping at his throat.

"Hmm?"

"I feel a little worried about something."

Byakuya turned a pretty grey eye on him and waited.

"I don't hold it against you that you were with other guys while we weren't together and you didn't remember me. But...I'm a little intimidated that another of your lovers is here."

Byakuya stared at him blankly for a moment and Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Ondori?" he prompted Byakuya, earning a look of genuine surprise.

"Ondori?" Byakuya repeated, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah," Ichigo confessed, "I mean, you worked for him. And he looks at you like he still would do it with you if you wanted to. That's a little scary."

Byakuya's look of confusion warmed into an affectionate smile.

"Ondori and I have never had sex," he assured his spooked lover, "He only gave me some guidance about how to properly serve our clients, but he never made love to me, nor I to him."

"He didn't? You didn't?" Ichigo said, looking surprised.

"No."

Ichigo considered his words quietly for a moment.

"He probably wanted to."

"Hmm," Byakuya sighed sleepily, curling more firmly into Ichigo's embrace, "he did. However, he sensed all along that I was meant for someone else and would only have left him when I found myself again."

"I know it's silly, but I'm relieved," Ichigo admitted, "I mean, you still were with a lot of other guys."

"That was for survival, not love," Byakuya said firmly, "And that time is over. I am not now, nor will I ever be that desperate again."

"I won't let you be," Ichigo promised, "Whatever happens, we'll face it together, okay?"

Byakuya gave him a grateful smile and sank deeply into his mouth again.

"We'll face it together," he agreed.


	14. Heart-Strong

**Chapter 14: Heart-Strong**

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 **(Back from a long vacation in the snow and an impromptu trip to the beach to clear my head. Thanks going out to Anon (Sure thing! I promise some good family time with Bya, Ichi and the kids!), Picklez80 (Thanks for your patience. Onward!), Jess0409 (Oh, I think Orochi's going to be facing down his worst nightmare soon! Bya's on the mend and building up to the fight.), Aizenfan6969 (Okay, here you go!), Parnita (We all need some good fluff to keep us going!), The Youngest Gorgons (Yeah, jealous Ichigo is pretty cute! But who wouldn't feel kind of intimidated. For all he knew, Ondori and Bya might have been lovers for the past ten years. Luckily, Ondori is a pretty good guy. He knew when Bya had Kisho that there was a love somewhere probably searching for Byakuya and kept his distance...well, mostly!), Anarane-Sensei (Oh yes! I love the fluff!), Avella Aria (Thanks! You are so sweet!), Adalie Delacroix (Aww, thanks! I hope your Valentine's was fluffy too! It's good I wrote the chapter before my own romantic encounter, because for some strange reason...erm...my own, ahem...encounters mess with my head and I can't write yaoi for several hours or even a day after! Okay, don't start wishing for me to have a more boring life, please! lol), GrimmIchisgrl (Yup! Perfect for Valentine's Day. I feel so cuddly!), Shima-Taicho31 (I must apologize topoor Kuri for depriving him of being able to please his Tetsu-hana, but I think you'll laugh at their choice of how to fix the problem.), Kenni-bun bun (Heehee! Wouldn't that be a surprise if the pregnancy charm failed again? Wait...*looks back* Oh...for goodness sakes, did they even use one? Geez, I don't know what I was thinking. Silly boys!), AliciaJenHavens (Ah yes, there are many challenges! Bya's powers, Ichigo's protection of his family, Kuri breaking the curse on Tetsuya, Kisho coming into his powers, Ondori and Kisuke connecting...so much to do here!), Hisuiryuu (We'll get more info on Tetsu and Kuri, while Ondori and Kisuke will happen more gradually, but sweetly!), Frost2351 (Oh, you are so very welcome!), Jazzybella (I like the dynamic between Ichigo and Byakuya in this story. They never disappoint, but there's something endearing about seeing them mess up at first, but then really work to fix things.) Enjoy the chapter! Love to all, Spunky)**

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Ichigo entered Kisuke's laboratory and found the shopkeeper observing as Byakuya and Kisho ran side-by-side on treadmills that were hooked up to a number of monitors and Kiuske's computer. Ondori sat in a chair nearby, reading to an enthralled Kiwa. She barely noticed as he joined them, but Ondori gave the Shiba heir a tentative smile as he read the end of the story. Kiwa giggled and jumped down off of his lap, scampering over to Byakuya and Kisho.

"Can I try too?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh-uh," Kisuke said firmly, "You have a much more important job waiting for you, little missy."

"What's that?" Kiwa asked, frowning suspiciously and putting her hands on her hips.

"I need you to go to the kitchen right away," Kisuke said in a perfectly serious tone.

"Why?" the girl asked, narrowing her eyes, "Is this a trick?"

"Heh, heh! You're a pretty sharp one, aren't you?" Kisuke chuckled good naturedly, "But really. Tessai's been making cookies, and I want you to go and make sure he got'em just right. How about that?"

"Um," Kiwa mused, glancing at Byakuya, then back at Kisuke, "Daddy Bya says no sweets until after I finish a healthy meal."

Kisuke shrugged and grinned.

"So, have Tessai make you a sandwich first," he suggested.

"But it isn't even time for...o-oh!" Kiwa said, her eyes widening as Kisuke gave her a knowing wink.

She flash stepped away as Byakuya shot the shopkeeper a disapproving glare.

"Well, I couldn't exactly let her on one of those, could I?" Kisuke said, smirking.

"It's not good for h-her to get into bad h-habits," Byakuya panted as he continued to run.

"Eh, you have to loosen up a little while you can, don't you think?" Kisuke said, shaking his head, "In a month, maybe two, you're gonna be at Kuchiki Manor and the kids'll have to follow all kinds of rules they didn't, living in the Rukongai."

"Be that as it m-may," Byakuya insisted, "I don't want the ch-children to get spoiled."

"Okay, okay, I won't spoil them too much," Kisuke laughed, "Stop talking, all right? You're throwing off the readings."

Byakuya continued to frown disapprovingly, but he quieted and continued to run on the treadmill. The shopkeeper watched closely and made several notes on the pad he held, then adjusted the controls on the treadmills.

"I need to check out your flash steps," he informed the two, "The flash step is the most basic of your shinigami skills and Byakuya, with the infusions you've been getting, you should have a flash step at the level you did before. Connection with your zanpakutou will be more difficult, but this, you should be okay on."

Across the room, Ichigo and Ondori watched as the treadmills quickened, and Byakuya and Kisho engaged their flash step.

"He's doing well," Ondori said cautiously, "But I knew he was strong. Michio and I just didn't know how to get his reiatsu flowing properly again."

"Even now, his flash step isn't nearly what it was," Ichigo noted, "Kisuke's not telling him that, but I think he knows. Kisuke's a miracle worker, but Byakuya was badly damaged and he didn't get the treatment he needed for a very long time."

Ondori's face colored.

"That's my fault, I suppose," he admitted, "I found him, and I did convince him to see the healer, but he wouldn't allow us to contact his family. He said that his family was part of the problem."

"That was when you first found him?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes," Ondori confirmed, "I was down by the river that day because I'd been sick and not able to work for almost a week. I was catching some fish to eat, when I saw a naked man collapsed at the edge of the water and barely holding onto some reeds on the shore as the current tried to take him back in. I pulled him out and while I was looking him over, we recognized each other."

"Byakuya told me about you being Hisana's cousin, and him having helped you before."

Ondori nodded.

"It was only right that I should help him," he went on, "but when I said something about contacting his family, he grabbed my hand and told me it wasn't safe to talk to them. He said that there was no choice, that he had to leave that life behind and disappear. He was badly hurt and he lost consciousness, so I took him to Michio, our town healer, who was able to keep him alive. But when Bya woke, he couldn't remember anything at all about his home or life. Remembering what he had said about the danger, I said nothing to him. I just helped him to find a place to stay, and when he learned he was with child, I helped him find food enough to survive it. Bya was resourceful, even not knowing who he was. He found that glen and moved into the old shack that was there. He gathered, saved and planted all kinds of seeds, growing flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables, some of which he lived on and some he sold to be able to care for himself and, when the baby came, Kisho-kun."

"Sounds like he was doing okay," Ichigo commented, "Can you tell me how he got so desperate that he had to...you know, become a prostitute?"

Ondori paused, giving him a heavier look.

"You must hate me for getting him involved in that, don't you?" he asked cautiously.

"Well," Ichigo said, deciding honesty was best, "I'm not happy about it, but Byakuya said that he did it to provide for Kisho."

"That's exactly right," Ondori agreed, "He was always focused on that sweet boy. He would have done anything for Kisho-kun. That was why he worked so hard transforming the barren land in that place into a beautiful garden. But...just as he prepared to harvest what he'd grown, thugs from town learned about the garden and went in at night. Bya tried to stop them, but there were too many of them, and they knocked him unconscious and took everything, even the stores from the house. Luckily, they left Kisho-kun alone in his crib. Bya staggered in later and found him crying. He comforted the boy and he came to me, leaving the lad with Michio, so that he could speak to me about working in the brothel. Truly, he had no other choices, as the thieves had taken all of their food, everything but the clothes they wore. And it was in the middle of winter. It wasn't just about food, they needed clothing and shelter, and he needed more seeds to plant to try to restart his business."

"Something tells me that didn't work out."

"No," Ondori said sadly, "You see, if he had been able to sell just the first crop, he could have hired people to watch the crops. But he could never get to that point. Every time, even when he tried hiding the crops in different places, the thieves knew of his talent and they always found his crops. In the end, he was forced to come to me and begin to work more regularly. For several years, he would Kisho-kun with the healer while he worked for me, telling him that he was going out of town for work. He made enough to feed and clothe them, but he carried a heavy weight on his heart. When Kisho-kun was finally old enough to learn the healing trade and he left with Michio, Bya came to me and asked me to help him earn enough to keep them going a little longer. But I remembered that Bya had once told me that he dreamed of starting a school for the street children...to give them shelter, food, and a place to learn skills to protect themselves and to earn money to live on."

"And it looks like he realized that dream," Ichigo noted, remembering the chaotic scene in the little glen, "at least until his cousin found him."

"That beast-cousin of his only seems to know how to ruin the people around him. He hurt me, Hisana-chan, Bya, Kisho, and so many others! The only thing that will make this right is for Bya to go home and fight him...but..."

"Hey," Ichigo said, laying a hand on his arm, "don't you worry about Byakuya. Like you said, he's strong. He's going to get his powers back and he'll go home."

Ondori sighed and nodded.

"He will. And I'm glad for that."

He looked around the room, letting his eye fall for a minute on Kisuke.

"I suppose I should be going back to where I came from too," he commented, "I've already troubled the folks here enough, and the less Bya is seen associating with me, the better, don't you think?"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "You're related to Hisana, right?"

"Yes," Ondori said uncertainly, "But...Hisana-chan is dead."

"Well, maybe you don't know," Ichigo went on, "I guess Byakuya didn't have a chance to tell you before he passed out and lost his memory. See, he found Hisana's sister, Rukia."

Ondori's eyes widened.

"He did?"

"Yeah, and he took Rukia into his family."

Sudden tears flooded Ondori's eyes.

"Kami bless him! I never realized he would go so far. We were strangers to him! He didn't just save us. He took care of what was most important to each of us. He protected Hisana-chan and got her out of Inuzuri for me, and also he found Rukia-chan as my cousin wanted and took care of her too. I feel even worse for ever letting anyone lay hands on him."

"But you couldn't have done anything else, right?"

"No, not then. Things were really bad all over the Rukongai at that time. We were all varying degrees of desperate. Still..."

"You did the best you could," Ichigo said bracingly, "And you took care of people who are important to me. I'm grateful for that. So...do you want to meet Rukia?"

Ondori's jaw dropped.

"She is...?"

"She's here," Ichigo chuckled, "She got here a little while ago. Come on, I'll introduce you."

"Oh, I don't know," Ondori said, blushing and shaking his head, "If she's part of a noble family now..."

"Take it easy," Ichigo chided him, "She'd want to meet you. And besides, Orochi threw her out of the family after Byakuya disappeared, so no one will complain, right?"

"He threw her out?" Onodori exclaimed, "One more reason for me to really hate that animal!"

"It's okay," Ichigo assured him, "She's been staying with my family when she wasn't with her military unit. Rukia's fine. Come on and meet her."

"Oh well, I guess, but do you suppose she'll be angry with me about me getting her sister's husband involved in prostitution?"

"Well," Ichigo laughed, "maybe not, if you can get your whole story out before she starts hitting you. She's...a little more aggressive than her big sister was."

"I see," Ondori said anxiously, "but you think me meeting her would be a good thing? It's not that you think I deserve to be smacked around a little?"

"No," insisted Ichigo, "It just that you're family. You really should be together, shouldn't you?"

"I suppose you're right," Ondori sighed, "I just don't want to be a disappointment."

"You won't be," Ichigo said bracingly, "It'll be fine. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Ondori said, looking deeply into Ichigo's friendly brown eyes, "And I see now why you've always been the love of his life. You are fascinating, Shiba Ichigo. I've never met anyone like you...and I have known a lot of people."

Ichigo made a sound of amusement and tugged on his arm.

"Come on. Let's go meet Rukia."

Kisuke watched out of the corner of one pale grey eye as Ondori and Ichigo left the room. He sighed and touched the controls on the two treadmills, making them gradually slow, then stop.

"You can come off of there now," he told the two.

"How is Dad?" Kisho asked immediately, "Is he getting his powers back?"

"It looks like he is," Kisuke assured him, "He's got his work cut out for him, but he's doing well. You're looking great, yourself. I can tell that Byakuya-san was teaching you a few things, wasn't he?"

"He did teach me about flash step, and also about hakudo and sword fighting," Kisho explained,

"Good," Kisuke said approvingly, "then I think you're ready."

"Ready?" Kisho repeated curiously.

"Yeah," Kisuke said, stepping away and returning with a larger sword than the one he already owned, "See, this is a sword like the one the shinigami academy uses...one with an asauchi inside. You're going to take this sword, and you will pour your reiatsu into it every day. You'll train with it, and you'll sleep with it near you at night. I'll also be teaching you to connect with the spirit inside your sword so that we can unlock your powers."

"Really?" Kisho exclaimed excitedly, "I always wanted to train at the shinigami academy!"

He noticed the sudden apprehensive look that came into Byakuya's concerned eyes.

"S-sorry Dad," he apologized, "I know you'd rather I just finished learning about healing, but..."

"It's all right," Byakuya assured him, moving towards him and taking the sword from Kisuke, "Urahara Kisuke is right. It is time for you to unlock your full potential. When we were but peasants, you didn't need to pick up that sword and become one of them. But...as the son of a clan leader...as the son of a clan leader and a clan heir, you will have to be prepared at all times to defend your life and the lives of the ones around you. It is a solemn duty to perform that service for a noble family. But you are ready, Kisho. You proved that when you showed such bravery and raw potential against Orochi, who is years your elder and fully trained. He could have killed you, had you not fought as hard as you did."

"It was really because everyone else showed up, just when I fell down," Kisho said, blushing, "If everyone hadn't come, he would have killed you and me."

"You still made an impressive showing," Byakuya insisted, "You took Orochi by surprise and held him off so that help could come. Don't overlook the importance of that."

He handed the asauchi to Kisho, watching the look of wonder that came into his grey eyes as his soul encountered the one in his sword for the first time.

 _Kuchiki Kisho_ , the spirit whispered into his mind, _I am honored._

"Did it speak to you?" Byakuya asked, "What did it say?"

"It said...it was honored," Kisho reported.

"That is good," Byakuya said approvingly, "Don't think that means your sword spirit will go easy on you. It won't. It will push you to the ends of your strength and beyond. Your zanpakutou is designed to bring you to the very height of your abilities."

"Thanks, Dad," Kisho said, smiling widely, "I'll do my best."

"I know you will," Byakuya agreed, "And I know that you will bring pride to our family."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kurushimi let out a weary breath and fell back on his pillow, making a sound of frustration.

"I am sorry, Kuri-kuri-sama," Tetsuya apologized, "but I did tell you that I haven't felt any sexual pleasure for a very long time. I am attracted to you. I don't know what else to say. Are you...giving up then?"

"What?" Kuri said, sitting up too quickly, then falling back dizzily, "No way, I'm just getting started."

"You look like it," Tetsuya teased him, "But seriously, you are tired. Let's stop and just rest together for a while."

"What are you talking about?" Kuri snapped, "I'm fine. I was just a little stymied by what that monster did to you. That's all. I just need a little time to...to..."

"Maybe I need help from someone else."

Kuri's face fell, and realizing what he was thinking, Tetsuya backpedaled rapidly.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way!" he exclaimed, "I only meant we might need some counseling. I just never did it because at first, for many years I had no lover, and then Orochi took over as clan leader and I didn't want to respond to him. I didn't mean that you weren't...that you were...well, you know!"

"Ah," Kuri sighed in relief, " _Dios mìo!_ Don't say things like that! You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you were giving up on me, Tetsu-hana!"

"No! Not at all!" Tetsuya said emphatically, hugging his caramel skinned lover tightly, "I love you, Kuri-kuri-sama!"

Kuri broke into a wide, happy grin.

"You do?" he asked, not sure he had heard right.

"You came to save me, even when we didn't know each other..."

"Well, it's not like you needed saving, though. You said so, yourself," Kuri reminded him, "I almost killed you myself, crashing into you and sending us both over the falls."

"But then, you helped me to find my cousin and you fought to protect him. That means so much to me."

"It was just the right thing to do," Kuri insisted, "Anyone would have..."

"But _anyone_ didn't," Tetsuya insisted, " _You_ did. And it is because of that I love you. And I will ask for help so that we can both enjoy our lovemaking."

"You have any idea about who to ask?" inquired Kuri, frowning thoughtfully, "It's a delicate subject."

"I'm not sure," Tetsuya confessed, "Do you have any ideas?"

"I have one," Kuri said, tilting his head slightly, "I don't know if you will approve, but it is someone who will know more than enough to probably have you responding in no time."

Tetsuya looked back at him blankly for a moment, then his eyes rounded and he flushed brightly and went speechless.

"Ah...uh...oh..." he stammered, "Y-you mean...?"

" _Sì_ ," Kuri said, nodding, "Ondori-san is sure to be able to help us!"


	15. Bonds of Family

**Chapter 15: Bonds of Family**

 **(OMG, power is out and I am on the dregs of my battery. Have to work, so I won't have time to charge up, even if the lights come back on. Seriously? Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Love you all, Spunky)**

Rukia followed the warm, inviting scent of baking cookies into the kitchen, where she found Tessai setting a little plate of the treats and a cup of fresh tea in front of a little black haired, blue eyed child, who looked to be about six years old. Tessai looked up and smiled at her in greeting.

"Rukia-chan, you received our message?"

"Yes," Rukia answered quickly, "You said that you have found Nii-sama?"

"Ichigo-san, Tetsuya-san and Kuri-san found him living down in the low Rukogai. In Inuzuri."

"Inuzuri?" Rukia repeated worriedly, "What was he doing there?"

"I don't know the whole story, but apparently, he was living there with his son, Kisho and young Kiwa-chan, here."

Rukia caught her breath and looked more closely at the little girl, who smiled and took a big bite of her cookie, then offered one to her.

"Th-thank you," Rukia managed, "You are Nii-sama's...I mean, Byakuya's daughter?"

The little girl furrowed her brow.

"You mean Daddy Bya?" she asked, "I am kind of. I had a family, but they died, so I went home with Kisho-kun, one of the healers who was helping us, and Daddy Bya adopted me."

"Oh," Rukia said, grinning at her, "That makes you my niece."

"You're my...?"

"I'm Byakuya's sister," Rukia explained, "and that makes me your and Kisho's aunt."

"I didn't know Daddy Bya had a sister!" Kiwa exclaimed.

"Your dad has a lot more family too," Ichigo said from the doorway, as he entered the room alongside a tall, slender man with pretty, jade colored eyes and long hair that was mingled red, brown and gold, and pulled back into a high ponytail.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed, jumping up from her chair and hugging him tightly, "Thank you so much for finding my brother! Where is he?"

"He and his son... _our_ son, Kisho, are getting checked out by Kisuke. They'll be along. But, I see you've met Byakuya's daughter, Kiwa?"

"Yes, Kiwa was just telling me all about herself."

"I gave her a cookie," Kiwa announced, "I think she's pretty and she's my auntie now!"

"You're right," Ichigo said, nodding, "But Rukia, there's someone else I want you to meet.

He stepped aside, indicating the jade-eyed man who had entered the room with him.

"This is Akira of Inuzuri," he explained, "Akira is your and Hisana's cousin."

Rukia sucked in a surprised breath, staring as Akira extended a hand and smiled warmly at her.

"Greetings, Rukia-chan. I am very glad to finally meet you. Hisana-chan was always talking about you...how much she wanted to find you. I am glad to hear that Bya...Byakuya-sama...found you and took you into his family. You look like you are doing very well," he said, admiring her fukutaicho's badge.

"I'm doing all right," Rukia agreed, "but I was expelled from the Kuchiki family after my brother disappeared."

"I heard," Akira said, frowning, "It seems that Kuchiki Orochi has troubled all of us, hasn't he?"

"I heard there was trouble down in the Rukongai," Rukia said, looking concerned, "Nii-sama wasn't hurt, was he?"

"He, Kisho and Akira got a little banged up," Ichigo explained, "But they've been healed. They're all fine."

"Is Tetsuya-san here too?" Rukia inquired.

"Yeah, he's with my cousin, Kuri. They're kind of seeing each other now."

"Man, I missed a lot, being away on that mission!" Rukia mused, "But when can we see Byakuya and Kisho?"

"How about now?" Kisuke answered from the doorway, where he stood alongside Byakuya and his son.

Rukia stared in awe at her brother's slimmer body, too pale face and plain clothing, but she made her feet move, carrying her forward, then stopped in front of him, looking up into his relieved eyes.

"Rukia," he said softly, looking down at her, "It's good to see that you are all right."

"That _I'm_ all right?" Rukia repeated, blinking back threatening tears, "Nii-sama, you were the one missing for ten years. I'm so glad you're okay!"

She remained in front of him, wanting to close the distance, but shaking softly with uncertainty. A soft exclamation escaped her as Byakuya moved forward and wrapped his arms gently around her. He said nothing more for a moment, but just held her against him and kissed the top of her head.

"I am sorry I left you," he whispered.

"It wasn't your fault," Rukia assured him, sniffing as her tears got the best of her, "Orochi is horrible! He's hurt so many people! But you're back now. You're back and you're going to..."

"Rukia," Byakuya said, releasing her and continuing to look into her widened eyes, "I am currently powerless."

"Powerless?" she repeated, trying to make sense of the word.

"I have my flash step, as well as my sword and fighting skills, but I cannot use any kido or my zanpakutou."

"It's not gonna be that way for long, though," Ichigo insisted, "Kisuke is helping Byakuya to get his powers back, and then he's gonna go home and kick Orochi's butt out of Kuchiki Manor."

"It can't be soon enough for me," Rukia said somberly, "He's brought so much misery to us all."

"It'll be okay. I promise," Ichigo said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I see you've met Ondori?" Byakuya inquired.

Rukia blinked in surprise as Byakuya realized his error and colored slightly.

"Ondori?"

"Akira," Byakuya corrected himself.

"But Ondori is..."

"It's an alias I use for my business," Akira explained.

"Akira owns and operates a brothel in Inuzuri," Byakuya informed his flustered sister, "You know that the situation is desperate for many people in that place, such that some must take that profession just to survive."

"Oh, I know," Rukia assured him, giving Akira a friendly smile, "Renji and I grew up there. We were very lucky we didn't have to do that."

Byakuya took a steadying breath.

"Rukia, you should be aware that when I arrived in Inuzuri, I was badly injured, naked and I had no one to help me...but Akira. He found me and got me healing. He helped me to find a home and to provide for Kisho. But life was very difficult there, and some of the time I had to work in Akira's brothel just to make ends meet."

Rukia stared back at Byakuya and Akira speechlessly. Then she rounded on Akira, her eyes darkening into a dangerous glare.

"You let Nii-sama do _th-that_?" she demanded, "Did you _know_ who he is?"

"Ah..." Akira managed, holding up his hands defensively and taking a step back as she advanced, "I'm sorry, Rukia-chan! But I was in desperate times myself! I'm not just a business owner. I have to work there to pay my bills too!"

"Rukia," Byakuya said, placing a staying hand on her shoulder, "don't be angry at Akira. I made what choices what choices I needed to, so that Kisho and I could survive. It will have consequences, especially when we go home, but you are not to blame Akira for any of that. Without his help...without having worked in his brothel, Kisho and I would have been at the mercy of the cold of winter...with no shelter, no way of staying warm and no food. We were all just doing what we had to."

"I know," Rukia said shakily, "I just...Nii-sama, I'm so sorry you had to do that! I wish we could have known where to find you."

"I was without my memory for the ten years I was in Inuzuri," Byakuya explained, "And the last thing I said to Akira before losing consciousness and suffering that loss of memory was that it wasn't safe for my family to know where I was. It wasn't safe to tell anyone. Akira respected my request to keep my identity and my location a secret from everyone."

Rukia gave Akira a conflicted look.

"W-well, I am glad that you helped Nii-sama. I just can't imagine..."

She paused and flinched at the unbidden image that flashed in her mind.

"Um, well, I'm glad that's over and Nii-sama is back safely."

"And it is time you met your nephew, Kisho," Byakuya said, indicating the wide-eyed boy at his side.

"Greetings, Aunt Rukia," Kisho said, bowing politely, "I'm glad to meet you."

"I'm happy to meet you too, Kisho-kun," Rukia said, accepting his hand, then offering him a gentle hug, "You resemble both Nii-sama and Ichigo."

"Thank you, Rukia-san," Kisho answered respectfully.

"You can just call me Rukia," Rukia answered, grinning and ruffling his ginger and black hair playfully.

"We should all sit down and enjoy some of Tessai's cookies and tea," Kisuke suggested, "And while we're at it, I can give you an update on Byakuya's condition and we can come up with a plan for how to get him ready to meet Orochi in battle."

The group gathered around the table, and were joined a few minutes later by Tetsuya and Kuri. When all were assembled, Kisuke cleared his throat softly and began.

"I've been assessing and monitoring all of Byakuya's systems since he arrived here, and he has made significant improvements. All of his physical injuries have been healed and his basic strength, stamina and agility have been restored. He has his flash step, although it's not yet restored to full speed, but as yet, his spirit centers are not able to channel reiatsu properly to support use of kido or a zanpakuto."

"But he will be able to do that, won't he?" Rukia asked worriedly.

"The problem is this," Kisuke said, laying an outline of a male body on the table and drawing seven markings on the chest and abdomen, "See, our bodies contain about seven spirit centers, points through which reiatsu flows when we use our powers. There is a flexible band around each center that stretches to accommodate greater flows of reiatsu and contracts when there is less flow. When Byakuya was injured ten years ago, it looks like his spirit centers were damaged, perhaps burned by an outlay of power or maybe when he was stricken with some kind of attack. Also, because these are physical structures that are under stress from regular usage, healing them is a lot more tricky. In this case, what needs fixing is that flexible part that expands and contracts. As badly damaged at those points are in Byakuya's body, they are beyond repair and so I've had to come up with some way of replacing them completely."

"Can you really do that?" Rukia asked worriedly, "I didn't think that something like that was possible."

"Well, in polite communities right now, it's not," Kisuke said, smirking, "Because the process involves using some highly reproductive cells that only occur in bodies that are pregnant."

"And taking cells from a developing child is considered, and for very good reason, unethical," Byakuya said, arching an eyebrow.

"That is the case with a _female_ soul," Kisuke agreed, "But with a male soul, the spirit chamber is a temporary structure that sheds and restores cells naturally. It would be easy to safely harvest some of those cells and stimulate them to grow the necessary flexible tissues to be transplanted on Byakuya's spirit centers."

"All you need is a pregnant male, right?" Kuri inquired, glancing at Tetsuya.

"Right," Kisuke confirmed.

"So, someone's got to get pregnant," Ichigo concluded.

"It can't be Byakuya," Kisuke reasoned, "because as soon as the tissue pieces are grown, he will have to have invasive surgery that a pregnant male couldn't tolerate. And, to be honest? I'd have to have about three pregnant male subjects to be sure to harvest enough of the cells to grow the bits I need for Byakuya's surgery."

Ichigo swallowed hard and took a breath.

"Well, I'll do it. I'll get pregnant."

Byakuya shook his head firmly.

"Ichigo, you don't have to..." he began.

"Hey," Ichigo said, taking Byakuya's hand and squeezing it gently, "We're in this together, you and me. Whatever you need to get well and trash Orochi's ass, I'm going to give you that. Just shut up and don't argue with me about it. I'm not letting you talk me out of doing right by you...by us."

Byakuya let out a soft breath and gave him a grateful smile.

"I don't know if I approve of making babies for reasons other than wanting to grow our family."

"But we want that too," Ichigo insisted, "right?"

Byakuya sighed and gave him a skeptical look.

"I would prefer that we weren't making our family when we are still unmarried, but...circumstances being what they are..."

"I guess we'll just have to get married," Ichigo said, making Byakuya go silent and stare at him in surprise.

Ichigo laughed merrily.

"Come on, you know I've wanted to marry you forever. You were the one dragging your feet and making excuses. You broke up with me, for kami's sake!"

"Well, I didn't know I was already with child."

"So, are we doing this?" Kisuke asked.

Ichigo squeezed Byakuya's hand again and grinned widely.

"We're doing this!" he announced.

"Well," Kisuke said, looking around the table, his eye coming to rest on Akira, "Anyone else want to volunteer?"

He noted the immediate look of sadness that crossed the brothel owner's face and tilted his head questioningly.

"Something wrong, Akira?" the shopkeeper asked, eyeing him.

"W-well, I'm not averse to getting pregnant, but I do have to return to Inuzuri and continue my work there. It isn't really a proper place to raise a child. And besides, I would have to find someone..."

"Look," Kisuke said, interrupting him, "we can figure something out, okay? I have an idea about that, so if you want to volunteer, then volunteer. I'll take care of the rest."

Akira blushed.

"V-very well, I volunteer."

"With Byakurai's permission, I volunteer Tetsu-hana and myself," Kuri offered.

"Wh-what?" Tetsuya objected, flushing, "I mean, I want to help."

Kuri smiled widely and nodded.

"You love me, right?" he asked, "You said so before."

"Yes, but...it isn't proper to be..."

Tetsuya went silent, staring as Kuri rose from the table and dropped onto one knee.

"Okay, to make it proper, marry me," he said, taking Tetsuya's hand.

"I can't marry you for the purpose of..."

"Stop," Kuri chuckled, "You know it's not just for that, "Tetsu-hana, I was in love with you at first sight. You know that. And you told me you love me too. And look at how fate turns. Because of our love, we can help Byakurai in his time of need."

Tetsuya gave Byakuya a cautious glance and Byakuya frowned meaningfully at Kuri.

"Before anyone in my family makes a baby, they are going to be married," he said firmly.

"Then, I guess it's weddings for three?" Kisuke giggled.

"What? Three?" Akira said, blinking in surprise.

"Well," Kisuke said, grinning, "You're Hisana's cousin, and Hisana was married to Byakuya. That makes you part of the Kuchiki family, doesn't it?"

"W-well I...I...you were kidding, right?" Akira stammered, blushing more furiously.

"You don't really have to marry me if you don't want to," Kisuke said more seriously, "I just...thought it would be good for both of us, you know. It would be great to have you here. You're good company, good at healing, and we always have injured fighters coming through the shop. I like kids too. It'd be great to have some kids."

"Well, it will be different," Akira mused, "But I do enjoy your sense of humor and wicked science experiments. I could be very comfortable with you."

"So, we're in," Kisuke said, slipping a hand into Akira's, "Three quickie weddings..."

"We're going to need a lot more cookies," Kiwa said suddenly, making the adults in the room look at her in surprise.

The little girl smiled sadly.

"My mama was going to have a baby before she and Daddy and Cho got sick. She had to eat a lot! She especially liked cookies we made together."

"Well then," Tessai said, picking her up and giving her a squeeze, "You are just going to have to help me make a lot more cookies."

"While you're at it, you'd better make a big, huge wedding cake," Kisuke suggested.

"If you don't mind me running back to Inuzuri, I have some clothing that would work well for the ceremony," Akira offered.

"So, we've got food and clothing covered," Kisuke concluded.

"The children and I can take care of decorations," Rukia offered.

"All right, it's done," said Kisuke, "Tonight, we get married."

"And make a lot of babies!" Kiwa laughed.

"And make a lot of babies," Kisuke agreed.


	16. The Seeding

**Chapter 16: The Seeding**

 **(I realized after posting this that I loaded the version of this that didn't include the part about what Ondori did to help Tetsuya, so it wasn't explained how he was able to get his body to respond to Kuri's affections. That has now been fixed!)**

Kisuke led Byakuya and Kuri down the long ladder into the underground training area beneath Urahara's candy shop. As they dropped onto the sand, the three paused for a moment, appreciating how the usually barren looking area had been made over. Potted blossoming trees marked a boundary around a beautifully canopied area, decorated with pink and purple streamers and matching flowers. An aisle had been made for the couples to walk down and it ended in front of a podium, where Tessai waited. He motioned for the three to come forward, and they took their places in the front with him. Jinta and Ururu sat off to one side in front of a large black piano, playing a pretty duet. Rukia stood at the beginning of the aisle with Kisho and Kiwa, Kiwa holding a basket of flower petals and Kisho holding a pillow bearing six gold rings.

Tessai nodded to the children at the piano, and they began to play an introductory song. As they played, Kiwa walked up the aisle, dropping handfuls of flower petals, and followed by Kisho, then Best Person for the three couples, Rukia. She stepped aside as she reached the front, revealing where Ichigo, Ondori and Tetsuya stood side-by-side, dressed in breathtaking formal kimonos and each wearing a frosted white veil.

"I think _I_ should have been wearing the veil," Byakuya whispered to Kisuke and Kuri, "After all, I did bear Kisho."

"Well, Ichigo is the one getting pregnant tonight, on your wedding night," Kisuke reminded him, "That's the bride's job. Besides, do you think you'll ever get him into anything that beautiful again? I'd suggest taking lots of pictures."

"He does looks perfect," Byakuya whispered appreciatively, "Lovely."

"They all do," Kuri agreed, watching as the wedding march began and the three moved forward, stepping slowly in time with the music. The reached the front and Rukia captured Byakuya's hand first and set it in Ichigo's. Then, she moved on to set Ondori's in Kisuke's hand and Tetsuya's in Kuri's. When the three couples stood hand-in-hand, Tessai cleared his throat and began the small service.

"We are gathered here today to join three couples in the bonds of holy matrimony. Love is a gift that grows in us all, and when the time comes, it brings us together, here to join the lives of these who have chosen to make their paths together. Byakuya and Ichigo, Kisuke and Akira, Kurushimi and Tetsuya, do you swear that you come to this place and take part in these nuptials of your own free will?"

"We do," the couples stated together.

"Do you, Byakuya, Kisuke and Kurushimi take Ichigo, Akira and Tetsuya to be your lawfully wedded spouses, to have and to hold from this day forward? Will you love, honor and protect them for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health for all the days of your lives?"

"We will," the three answered together.

"And do you, Ichigo, Akira and Tetsuya, take Byakuya, Kisuke and Kurushimi to be your lawfully wedded spouses, to have and to hold from this day forward? Will you love, honor and protect them, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all the days of your lives?"

"We do," the three answered.

"Byakuya, Kisuke and Kurushimi, please place a ring on your spouse's finger and repeat after me. With I this ring, I thee wed and pledge to thee my troth. I promise to be faithful and true to you, to love and cherish you until death do us part."

He paused as the three men placed the rings on their partners' fingers and recited their promises, then invited the other three men to do the same.

"Byakuya and Ichigo, Kisuke and Akira, Kurushimi and Tetsuya, having made your promises, you are ready to step forward into a new place in your lives. If any knows just cause why these couples should not be wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace."

"Nope! Nope, we're all cool!" Kisuke laughed anxiously, "Get on with it quick before someone objects."

"Very well," Tessai chuckled, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you partners in life and bonded in love, for now and for all of your lives. Gentlemen, you may kiss your brides."

Byakuya lifted Ichigo's veil and placed his hands on his new husband's face, looking deeply into his happy eyes.

"I did not think this day would ever come," he said, smiling, "I feel blessed, Ichigo...deeply honored."

"Me too," Ichigo answered, bringing their lips together into a long, passionate kiss.

Beside them, the other two couples exchanged equally enthusiastic kisses.

They adjourned to another section that had been similarly decorated, where they sat together at a large rectangular table. The three couples took knives that had been set near the large white tiered wedding cake, and they cut pieces together to give to their new spouses. Laughing and chatting happily, they consumed their portions of cake, then left the training room to go upstairs.

"You children stay down here with me," Tessai directed Kisho, Kiwa, Jinta and Ururu.

"I'll stay too," Rukia laughed, "We can play some games."

"While all of them play games in their rooms!" Kiwa chimed in.

At the top of the ladder, the three couples separated and Kisuke stopped Akira short of the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Akira asked curiously, reading the devilish smirk on the shopkeeper's face, "Oh, I see. You have some other ideas for our consummation?"

"Yeah," Kisuke answered, opening the door to his laboratory, "You said you like my wicked science? Why don't we see how much?"

"That sounds good to me," Akira laughed, stepping inside.

"First, a little _safety gear_ ," Kisuke said, slipping a blindfold over his eyes, "Eye protectors."

"Hmm," Akira mused, "What next?"

"Come this way," Kisuke replied, taking him by the arm and guiding him to an examination table.

He paused and slowly removed Akira's lovely red and purple kimono, then his own traditional black one.

"Open your mouth," Kisuke directed him, placing a small pill shaped object on his tongue, "This is a full body sensor. I'm swallowing one too. If you focus, you can feel warmer areas on your partner's body. The areas that heat up a little when exposed to this monitor are your partner's most sensitive areas."

"I see. That's handy."

"Lie down on your back," Kisuke breathed into his ear, guiding him to the examination table and helping him on, "I will need to put a few safety restraints on you because what I'm going to do might make you thrash around enough to fall off the table. You ready?"

"Ready!" Akira purred.

He flinched as Kisuke's hands took hold of one wrist and wrapped a soft restraint around, then he took hold of the other and did the same.

"But how will I touch your sensitive areas?" Akira complained.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll get your chance. Just...let me show you how this works."

Akira sucked in a heated breath as the shopkeeper's warm hand parted his thighs and restrained them in an opened position, wrapping the soft bindings at the ankles and just above the knees. He finished with a soft band across Akira's small waist.

"That oughta keep you from falling off," Kisuke's voice rumbled in his ear.

"What happens now?" Akira asked.

"Well," Kisuke said, running a hand along his new husband's inner thigh, "I'm going to use the monitor to place these little soft pads."

Akira flinched as he placed each of the small pads in one of the areas denoted by the monitor.

"You feeling it already," Kisuke asked, arousal plain in his tone.

Akira made a soft gasp as he felt Kisuke step between his widespread thighs and his hardness brushed against the brothel owner's naked flesh.

"Oh!"

"Already pretty excited, aren't you?" Kisuke observed, "I'll be careful. Too much of anything, even pleasure, can be fatal."

"Mmmmmhh," Akira moaned as the small pads sent tingles of sensation to all of his most reactive places, "Ahhh!"

"You'll rise pretty quickly through the stages of arousal," Kisuke explained, watching as Akira's slender body writhed and trembled hungrily within the restraints, "But...to make sure there's time for me to enjoy this too..."

Akira gasped and swore as he felt something slide onto his thickened length.

"Oh! Oh, you bastard! N-no!"

"We don't want it to be over too quickly, right?" Kisuke said teasingly, bending and running his tongue up one soft, inner thigh.

"I thought you said t-too much pleasure could be fatal!" Akira panted.

"It can," Kisuke said, teasing his cheek with stroking fingertips, then sliding them down slowly to play with the brothel owner's erect nipples, "But don't worry. I know exactly at what point you'll lose your mind, so we won't go past that point. Of course, science isn't perfect, so it is a little bit dangerous. Wanna stop yet?"

"N-no!" Akira moaned, writhing harder as more little twinges teased his body and Kisuke bit down on his throat.

"I'm gonna adjust the table so it's at the right height."

Akira felt the table tilt and then warm pressure as Kisuke's naked body pressed onto his. Warm, wet fingers began to prepare him as he panted harder and groaned restlessly.

"Feel good?"

"Y-yes!"

"For me too. I have a sensor that reads your pleasure and intensifies mine. As you get more excited, so do I."

"Oh...why couldn't you have ever come through Inuzuri before? You're insanely sexy!"

"I just fucking love science!" Kisuke exclaimed, drawing howls of longing from his excited partner as he made his entry.

His hips moved in hard, fast thrusts, making Akira's slim form strain wildly against his bonds and curse at the little device that held him back from bliss. Kisuke waited until he was on the brink of release, then freed Akira suddenly, earning a scream of completion as the brothel owner climaxed violently. Akira fastened his mouth on Kisuke's, barely feeling as he was lifted and carried into the shopkeeper's bedroom and laid down in a soft bed. Kisuke curled tightly around him, planting warm kisses on the back of his neck and shoulder.

"You can't move right now. I know," Kisuke breathed into Akira's flushed ear, "It's from being so pleasured that your mind was almost blown. You have to lie still for awhile."

"Sex has never done that to me before," Akira confessed softly, "My clients are of course, attending to their own pleasure, not mine. That was deliciously different. You are... _amazing_ , Urahara Kisuke!"

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Urahara Ondori!" Kisuke chuckled affectionately.

"I think I'll leave that name and profession behind me now," Akira said sleepily.

"Mhmm," Kisuke mumbled, "From now on, you can save all of your best tricks for me."

XXXXXXXXXX

"S-so, were you able to speak to Akira-san?" Tetsuya asked, "Everything seemed pretty rushed while we were all trying to get ready for the ceremony."

Kuri stepped into the bedroom and closed and locked the door behind him, his handsome turquoise eyes freezing Tetsuya in place and sending a bright flush over his fine features.

"You are blushing, my lovely bride," Kuri purred, pressing up against Tetsuya and trapping him against the bedroom wall.

"I didn't think I could blush after the awful ways Orochi used my body," Tetsuya whispered, closing his eyes and savoring the velvet feel of Kuri's tongue as it swept across the side of his neck, sending little shivers down his spine, "No one has ever touched me the way you do! Even N-naoki was not touching me all over like that. Probably because we had to hurry so we wouldn't be caught making love."

"Well, we don't have to worry about anyone catching us."

"Orochi would be killing mad if he knew you were touching me. Technically, I am still his clan concubine. I'm supposed to be released by him before having sex with or marrying anyone else."

"Those rules don't matter. That man is not the Kuchiki leader, so he has no fucking right to you."

Tetsuya made a hard, quivering sound of arousal as Kuri nibbled along the place his tongue had warmed on the back of his neck, then nibbled on Tetsuya's naked shoulder.

"I could eat you alive!" Kuri panted, dragging Tetsuya away from the wall and bringing him down on his belly.

"B-but you haven't answered my question!" Tetsuya panted softly, "Were you able to…?"

Tetsuya sucked in a surprised breath as Kuri's arm curled around his waist and his hand rubbed something warm and oily onto Tetsuya's flushed, but calm and unaffected nether region.

"Wh-what is that?" Tetsuya asked, his voice shaking slightly, "It…it feels strange, Kuri. This is supposed to help me…?"

"Shh…" Kuri soothed him, caressing Tetsuya with firmer strokes, "Don't think about that. Don't think about anything but the love we feel for each other. Let everything else disappear."

Tetsuya's blue eyes closed and he breathed more deeply, moving his hips and thrusting into his husband's stroking hand as Kuri laid kisses along the back of his shoulder and up the side of his graceful neck.

"K-kuri!" Tetsuya moaned, "I…I think it's working! I f-feel…!"

"Ah," Kuri sighed, smiling widely as Tetsuya's member warmed and blossomed sweetly under his hand, "Mi corazòn…"

Tetsuya moaned and spread his milky thighs, raising his white bottom wantonly. Kuri laid down on his back, rubbing sensuously against his new mate and biting at the side of his pale throat. Tetsuya wiggled his bottom teasingly, snapping at the fingers Kuri offered him, then sucking on them and licking them eagerly. He moaned and writhed restlessly as Kuri's fingers slid out of his mouth and down to prepare him. He gasped and stiffened, his moans intensifying as the invading fingers found the sensitive nerves inside him and stimulated them and Kuri laid down on his back and kissed his sweat dampened cheek. Kuri's face pressed warmly against Tetsuya's as he made his entry, then began a slow, steady thrusting.

" _Te amo, mi Tetsu-Hana! Estás dentro de mi corazón para siempre_." (I love you, my Tetsu-hana! You are inside my heart forever.)

Tetsuya tried to answer, but found himself unable as Kuri's thrusts deepened until they left him breathless. He heard a groan of surrender in his ear and was filled with sudden heat that sent him tumbling wildly into release, his lips parting in quivering cries of intense pleasure. Kuri rolled off of his back and Tetsuya curled into his arms, seeking his mouth for a heavy barrage of finishing kisses. He rested in Kuri's embrace afterwards, his blue eyes hazy with satedness.

"That was…incredible, Kuri!" Tetsuya panted, "What was it that Akira-san gave you that broke the enchantment on me?"

"What do you mean?" Kuri asked, smirking, "Ondori did give me some ointment and told me to put it on you, but…it was just natural oils, nothing that could break a charm."

"What?" Tetsuya mused, blinking in surprise.

"It's just like he said," Kuri went on, shaking his head, "I put it on and you convinced yourself that with that power, you could break the charm. But…it was just your own strength, your own will that broke it."

"But…I've wanted to break it before," Tetsuya objected, "I've wanted to with all of my heart."

"Ah, but you never believed that you could, isn't that right, _mi corazòn_?"

Tetsuya let out a piqued breath.

"I feel so stupid!" he sighed regretfully, "I let myself be convinced that I was incapable of experiencing the fullness of another's love, when all along, I only needed to believe in myself."

"Don't worry about it," Kuri chuckled, "The charm is broken and you are free to experience our love. So…how does it feel, Tetsu-hana?"

"I feel so peaceful inside...so quiet," Tetsuya whispered, "It's like my body knows I've escaped him, and my heart can finally stop screaming."

Kuri kissed his earlobe and tightened his embrace.

"If he ever touches you again," he whispered, "That bastard will be the one screaming."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're finally mine," Ichigo whispered, nuzzling Byakuya's soft cheek and ducking under his chin to explore the soft, vulnerable skin of his throat.

"What do you mean?" Byakuya mused, closing his eyes. "I think I've been yours for a long time. I was just afraid to admit it."

"And then we lost each other," Ichigo added, slipping his hands beneath Byakuya's loosened clothes and caressing his firm, round bottom, "You have no idea how empty it felt, having that space where you used to be. I never knew anything could hurt so much or that I could miss somebody so badly. Byakuya, you can't leave me like that again!"

Byakuya's mouth found his and quieted him with a flurry of warm, bracing kisses.

"I am not going anywhere," he promised, "I am staying right here with you. And when I've grown strong enough, I will go back and reclaim my place at the head of my family. But even though I'll do that, I won't forget the mistakes I made or the lessons I learned. The last ten years have been hard for both of us, Ichigo. But that's over now."

"It's almost over," Ichigo corrected him, shrugging off the last of his own clothing and hugging Byakuya tightly, "We just need to get you healed, then we can go back and make everything right again."

"Are you sure you are all right with having a child? It is a profound undertaking. But there is a magic to bringing life into the world. As bad as my situation was down in Inuzuri, holding Kisho in my arms, feeding him, singing to him, telling him stories...all of that brought me peace and contentment. It's hard to find those things in such a cold, dark place."

"I wasn't in the cold or darkness," Ichigo said, looking into Byakuya's smoky eyes, "but I felt alone, even though my family and friends were still there. It was like something was missing, and without that...without you, nothing could be right. I'm so glad we found you. I'm so glad you're here with me. I'm never, ever letting you leave me again."

" _Watashi wa anata no mono_ ," Byakuya whispered into his ear, coaxing him onto the bed, "You never have to worry about that."

The two men knelt, facing each other, with moonlight leaking in through the window and lighting their bared, white bodies. Hungry mouths savored each other, and their hands crawled over each others' naked flesh, holding, squeezing and gently caressing. Byakuya bathed his fingers carefully in lubricant that their host had provided, then took his time, holding and kissing Ichigo as he prepared him for their joining, while Ichigo's hand warmly pleasured him. Ichigo pulled free of him and positioned himself over Byakuya's waiting member, then joined their bodies in slow, grinding thrusts that left him panting helplessly against Byakuya's shoulder by the time they were fully engaged. Byakuya's fell onto his back, grinding forcefully against his writhing partner, both moaning delightedly, thrusting more and more urgently until their rapturous movements carried them over and into release.

They held each other afterward, Ichigo's fingers entangling themselves in the silken strands of Byakuya's raven colored hair. They watched the moonlight slink across the bed, their eyelids growing heavy and finally blinking and closing.

 _I really am home_ , Byakuya realized, opening one dark eye to peek at his handsome spouse's calm, peaceful expression, _No matter where I go, these arms are my home._


	17. Breath of Fire

**Chapter 17: Breath of Fire**

 **(Just a note for readers to look back at Tetsuya and Kuri's lovemaking in the last chapter, because I originally uploaded the version from before I added the part about Kuri's reveal of how Ondori 'helped' with Tetsuya's erectile problem! lol I have uploaded the corrected version now and have this brand new chapter to share too! Enjoy! Love, Spunky)**

 _I must have slept with a thousand men or more, but not one of them ever really saw me._

Akira peeked out from where he had taken refuge under Kisuke's bowed chin as the deeply sated shopkeeper slept soundly. He studied Kisuke's slightly shadowed face, the skin that was light colored from being indoors and covered for protection while he conducted endless experiments, the little field of stubble that grew thicker when he was focused on his work to the point of forgetting everything else and mussed blonde hair he kept meticulously clean, but left tumbled and usually covered with a striped hat. Without his hat and coat, he looked much younger and far more vulnerable. And stripped of his thick clothing and stretched out, naked, on his back, he looked less like one so many people depended on and more just like a kindred soul, one that needed, wanted and longed like his. It seemed insane to Akira, but at the same time oddly right that, reaching out as they had and extending their gifts to others, their reaching arms had somehow found each other's.

 _Men come to whores like me for different reasons. Some are trying to escape loneliness, and are so lonely that they would do anything. Some feel like they have no control in their lives and so they escape it for a time by exerting control over me. Some are merely curious and want to experiment on a partner who won't ask them to stay afterward. Then, there are those fleeing boredom, sadness or other strong emotions, those who want to dream of a better life. Some who just want to talk. All of them take what they want and lay money on my pillow. But no one has ever held me after fucking me and wanted to stay._

 _But then, what I did with Urahara-san…_

Akira paused, blushing.

 _What I did with my husband, Kisuke, was not just having sex. For the first time, someone made love to me, and didn't want me to disappear after. In fact, he seems fascinated with me. From the moment we finished our first time, he has been watching and measuring every little change in me. He seems obsessed with keeping records of everything. It is the scientist in him that wants to observe and test and record. His mind never seems to stop working._

A deeper flush roared across Akira's face.

 _Ah…except when he is in orgasm._

 _There is a moment during sexual joining, a moment that many men close their eyes to. Some don't want to see that moment, or to be seen, because it is a moment of perfect truth. Having been with many men, I know how a man looks when he achieves the reason he came to me…the ones who came to dominate, or to escape loneliness or to dream. I have looked into endless eyes and found all of them empty in some way. But Kisuke's eyes didn't look empty to me. He didn't close his eyes when he climaxed inside me. His eyes were wide open and looking into mine and down into my very core. And just as I read that he longed to explore genuine love, he read that I longed to be genuinely loved. I thought I might love Bya, but I always knew it wasn't right. It feels right with Urahara Kisuke._

 _It feels…heavenly!_

 _So…why does it feel like my heart is breaking?_

Akira slipped out of the bed and approached the window. He opened the curtains and gazed out at a stormy sky and steadily falling rain. A soft rumble of thunder seemed to resonate in his chest and it seemed like warm rain was beginning to run from his eyes and down his face.

 _What's wrong with me?_

 _I never cursed my fate like so many others in Inuzuri did. I always tried to smile and make the best of things. I had nothing but my body that men found desirable, and a determined mind and from that, I built a life. It was a life that served to provide most of the things I needed, but it was a life without the love I so wanted to experience._

 _A whore knows that there are no really happy endings. How many dutiful husbands did I lie down and pleasure when they lost their desire for their wives or male partners? How many came and cheated with me while playing the part of the white knight at home? How many came for revenge? Either to do to me what they didn't dare do to their spouses, or to let me steal the touches and caresses that didn't belong to me? I saw the dark, horrible side of love…that even true love isn't always perfect. And maybe, having seen that, I stopped believing that true love existed._

 _This man has me believing again that it could exist…that if we both try hard enough, we can hang on through the times when we're not perfect and when we disagree with each other._

Akira placed a shaking hand on his still slim belly, smiling through his tears at the feel of that tiny, new reiatsu, just beginning to grow inside him.

 _And between the two of us, we will be wise enough to raise a child who will appreciate both the blinding beauty and inherent dangers of love._

Akira sucked in a surprised breath as warm arms curled around him from behind and an even warmer and delightfully aroused body pressed up against his back. Kisuke's chin hooked over his shoulder, the thickening stubble both tickling and scratching his naked flesh. Warm breath teased his earlobe and Akira felt something soft being pressed into his hand.

 _A handkerchief?_

 _How did he know? I know I haven't made a sound. I learned long ago how to cry silently._

He accepted the handkerchief and brushed away the streaming tears, then dabbed at his flushed nose.

"Are you going to tell me that this is just increasing hormones?" Akira asked, still looking out the window at the falling rain.

He wasn't sure if the roaring in his ears was his heart bursting or just another explosion of thunder outside. He felt himself being turned and for a moment, Kisuke's pale grey eyes looked searchingly into his. Then a rough, passionate mouth captured his, and Kisuke's body trapped his up against the wall, commencing an entry so slow and methodical it nearly had him in tears all over again. He hooked a slender leg around the shopkeeper's body, eagerly meeting each hard, grinding thrust as Kisuke made love to him. No words passed between them. Only heated moans and heavy panting breaths sounded as they moved together. Akira heard his husband loose a deeper, more erotic sound that made his body stiffen, then descend into a flurry of long, pleasant shudders. Kisuke's breath escaped in a long, tremulous sigh that burned the flesh of Akira's ear and sweating throat, as an eruption of intense heat melted Akira from the inside.

"I know you won't believe me if I tell you I love you," Kisuke managed softly, "but I do."

Akira curled his lips into a teasing smirk.

"I _don't_ believe you," he lied, "Why would you love someone like me?"

Kisuke gave him a sweet, disarming smile.

"Because no one's ever been able, not even for a moment…to make it so I couldn't think anything at all…except those words. You did that."

"I still don't believe you," Akira teased him playfully.

"That's okay," Kisuke chuckled, "I'm a scientist. I can prove it to you."

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Levàntate, cabròn_! (Get up, motherfucker)" a sharp, female voice said, dragging Kuri out of a sound sleep and sending a naked and blushing Tetsuya diving under the covers.

" _Què chingados!_ (What the fuck?)" Kuri gasped, sitting straight up in the bed, ignoring the fact that he was both completely naked and uncovered in front of the dark haired woman who stood in the room, "Are you trying to scare me to death, _hermana_? And I think you've killed my new bride too!"

The angry woman tore the bedding away, and Tetsuya ducked behind Kuri, using a waterform to hide himself.

"How _dare_ you get married without including the family! Without even telling _Mamà!"_ the woman shouted, "¿ _Estás loco_? (Are you crazy?) She is on the warpath! You are going to get your head taken off the minute she catches up with you."

"Eh," Kuri grunted, ducking as she swatted at him, "If you don't kill me first, right?"

"I _should_ kill you! We don't hear from you for days, and then the word doesn't even come from you. We had to hear from someone else that you went off and illegally married Kuchiki Orochi's concubine!"

"Deripie…"

The woman paused in the midst of her tirade, spotting the barely visible outline of Tetsuya's comely face peeking shyly over his husband's shoulder. Instantly, her eyes widened and softened in response.

"Tetsuya-san?" she inquired more quietly, "will you let me see you?"

"I don't know why he would!" Kuri snapped, "After you came in here, shouting like that, who would?"

Aderia cast her brother a withering glare, then her face softened again as she looked at Tetsuya's almost invisible waterform.

"Come out, please, Tetsuya-san. _Lo siento_ (I'm sorry). I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just very angry at my brother, because he is sometimes very stupid!"

"Enough already, woman!" Kuri complained, "Leave us alone and at least let him get dressed first!"

"Aderia crossed her arms over her chest, scowling.

"Neither one of you has anything I haven't seen before. Now, please come out, Tetsuya-san."

Kuri loosed a resigned sigh.

"You might as well do as she says," he said defeatedly, "Tetsu-hana, this is my lovely sister, Aderia, whom I call Deripie."

Tetsuya swallowed hard, blushing even more furiously as he materialized and peered around Kuri's shoulder to look back at her.

" _Sumimasen_ , Aderia-san," Tetsuya apologized, "I know it wasn't right for a mixed blood concubine that belongs to someone else, to marry your brother. I only did so because Kuri saved me, and when he did, I fell in love with him. Please forgive me."

Aderia's eyes rounded as she watched Tetsuya come fully into focus and was stricken with the deep sapphire orbs that met hers.

"Oh, _angelito_!" she said gently, "you did nothing wrong…nothing at all. I only meant that my idiot brother should at least have told his family what was going on so that we could be there for you. But…it is all right. Our _mama_ , Magdelina, and I have come to give our brother's wedding a proper finish. We are making a feast to celebrate properly."

" _Mamà_ is here?" Kuri exclaimed, looking suddenly stricken, "She came with you?"

"She did," Aderia affirmed, smirking, "And she told me to tell you to get your pants on and go talk to her… _now_!"

"What about my poor Tetsu-hana?" Kuri argued.

"I will keep him company until you get back," Aderia said, handing Tetsuya the bedding to cover himself with as Kuri exited the bed and stomped to the closet, cursing all of the way.

Tetsuya looked up at Aderia questioningly.

"Sh-shouldn't I go to meet my mother-in-law too?" he asked, sheepishly.

"Give them a few minutes," Aderia laughed as her brother flash stepped out of the room, "She will need to scold him first."

Aderia spotted the worried look that overtook Tetsuya's sweet face and touched his cheek gently.

"Don't worry, _angelito_ ," she reassured him, " _Mamà_ is going to love you!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo came awake to the sound of raised voices in a nearby room and peeked out from under Byakuya's chin and shoulder to scowl at the offending sound.

"What th'heck?" he mumbled.

"I believe that, whoever it is, is speaking Spanish," Byakuya said, keeping his eyes closed and his arms securely around his newly impregnated mate, "Was that your cousin, Shima Kurushimi?"

"R-right," Ichigo groaned, ducking under a pillow as the sound grew louder, "Kuri and Aderia."

He went quiet for a moment as the information sank in.

"Aderia is here," he mused, "and yelling at him. Byakuya, do you think that means that they know about the weddings?"

Byakuya sat up slowly, bringing Ichigo up with him. The two listened as the loud voices quieted, then they heard someone exit the room at flash step speed.

"We should see what's going on," Ichigo suggested.

The two tied their clothing back in place and slipped out into the hallway, following the traces of Kurushimi's reiatsu to the kitchen, where warm, spicy scents filled the air, making their empty stomachs growl.

"Oh my god," Ichigo whispered, "Magdelina must be here too. That is _definitely_ the smell of her fresh tamales!"

The two exchanged inquisitive looks as a melodic voice rose up, speaking sternly in Spanish, then Kuri's voice answering in Spanish. The feminine voice answered with a more angry mixture of Spanish and English.

"She sounds really pissed," Ichigo observed, shaking his head ruefully, "I think she's not very happy he's gone off and gotten married without his family being there. That's pretty important to them."

"She is your relative, is she not?" Byakuya asked, tilting his head slightly, "Will she be scolding you too?"

"Probably," Ichigo chuckled, "but not like that. Kuri's her son. He's got no excuse. She'll probably just say I should have given my dad a chance to congratulate us or something."

"And she will do all of this while cooking and serving us lunch?" Byakuya asked, sounding amused, "You have _interesting_ relations, Ichigo."

"You shouldn't be talking," Ichigo teased, " _Your_ cousin wants to _kill_ you for real."

"True," Byakuya admitted wryly.

They listened until the noise died down and the woman began speaking in English.

"Now, go and get that poor boy in here so we can welcome him into the family properly!"

" _Sì, Mamà_ ," Kuri said, rolling his eyes as he left the room, "Who the hell is the leader of this family anyway…?" he muttered under his breath.

Ichigo smiled at Byakuya and tugged his hand so they moved forward to enter the room together.

"Magdelina-san!" Ichigo greeted her, smiling and kissing her on the cheek, "I thought I heard your voice out here."

Magdelina kissed his cheek and pretended to scowl at him.

"I think it was that you smelled the tamales," she accused him.

"That too," Ichigo agreed, "Magdelina-san, you've met Byakuya, right?"

Magdelina's eyes rounded as they took in the sight of the thought-to-be-dead Kuchiki leader.

"Byakuya!" she managed softly, "Then, what we heard is true? You have been found alive…and…you have married Ichigo?"

"Yes…and yes, I have," Byakuya confirmed, "But I was not aware that word had reached the Seireitei about my return. I knew it would, as my cousin, Orochi, did see me alive in Inuzuri. I just was not aware that he knew I was here…or what I was doing."

"You need to be careful," Magdelina warned him, taking his hands in hers and looking up into his eyes worriedly, "You know what action your council is going to take."

"I do," Byakuya confirmed, "I will be ready."

"You must be ready for anything, because Orochi is a foul beast that will stop at nothing!"

Byakuya nodded.

"He has already expressed his driving desire to see me die for real," he answered, "I am preparing to be able to meet him in battle to regain my place as the clan's leader."

"Then, you will need strength," Magdelina said, squeezing his hands gently, "We will have a great feast to help make you strong again."

"Arigatou," Byakuya said sincerely, "Ichigo and are grateful."

Magdelina turned a skeptical eye on Ichigo.

"Ichigo, you are bad as my Kuri, not telling your father or anyone what you were doing here!"

"Yeah, well we worried about the wrong people figuring out what we were planning. It seems like, even though we've tried to be careful, they know. We could be in serious trouble."

"What trouble?" Magdelina asked, patting his cheek bracingly, "You have each other, and you have all of us behind you. We will make Byakuya strong again and send him home to bring justice back to his clan!"

The three turned as Kuri re-entered the room, alongside a still blushing Tetsuya and smiling Aderia. Jinta and Ururu burst into the kitchen with Kisho and Kiwa on their heels and Kisuke entered the room behind them, holding Akira's hand.

"What's the commotion?" Kisuke asked, his eye falling on Magdelina, "Ah, Magdelina-san, you brought food! Good thing, we have three starving moms-to-be and three hungry papas-to-be! I hope you brought enough for a small army."

Magdelina looked back at him quizzically, then glowered at Kuri.

"Oh, _mijo_ , you'd better not tell me you married this _joven Hermosa_ just because you impregnated him! I'll…!"

"No!" Kuri exclaimed, ducking his mother's hand as she tried to smack the back of his head, "I married Tetsu-hana first, _then_ I impregnated him!"

"But you didn't even tell us!" Magdelina complained.

"You already yelled at me for that!" Kuri argued.

"Well, it was wrong and you should be scolded twice! Three times!"

"Maybe you should scold him later," Kisuke suggested, smirking, "We're all pretty worn out and need to recharge."

"I'm not going to forget this," Magdelina said stiffly, "Now, sit down and eat, before you faint from hunger!"

The group took their places around the table and Aderia and Magdelina brought heaping plates of food to the table. In minutes, all were busily eating and talking animatedly.

"The Seireritei is in an uproar," Aderia reported to Byakuya, "Orochi must have gone straight to your elders, because word came around that you were alive in the Rukongai, but were unable to use your powers, and then you fled to Karakura Town to avoid answering for your crimes."

"What crimes are those?" asked Ichigo, "Byakuya didn't do anything wrong. He was attacked and hurt."

"But they still don't know that," Aderia said, shaking her head, "and I think the only way they will know is for Byakuya to go back and to defend his position in the family. They have also issued an order for Tetsuya-san's return to Orochi's service. Orochi first convinced the Kuchiki elders to lower the status of the mixed-bloods, then he claimed that Tetsuya-san's reported marriage to Kuri violates their laws! They have invalidated the marriage."

"But Tetsu-hana is already pregnant!" Kuri exclaimed, "If he goes back…"

Aderia, Kuri and Magdelina exchanged worried glances.

"They will kill my baby," Tetsuya said numbly, "and they will give me back to Orochi."

Byakuya turned to Tetsuya and slipped a bracing hand into his, gazing steadily into his cousin's frightened eyes.

"That is not going to happen," Byakuya said softly, "Tetsuya, I am sorry that I disappeared and I failed to protect you from him."

"It wasn't your fault, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya whispered, his head bowing penitently, "I was supposed to be protecting you. I failed to do that, and you were hurt. I thought you were killed. I'm the one who needs to be sorry, who need to apologize."

"No," Byakuya said firmly.

"But it _was_ my fault!" Tetsuya insisted, tears streaming onto his face, "I failed to protect you! They all said it was true! I couldn't even argue with them! If I hadn't…"

"Tetsuya, stop," Byakuya said, placing a palm on his cousin's wet cheek, "You must not believe that. There was nothing you could have done. Orochi is crafty. He fooled us both, me and you! But that doesn't make it your fault or mine. It just means that we have to fight our way back. You will help me do that, will you not?"

Tetsuya looked back at him wordlessly for a moment, then let out a shaky breath.

"Of course, Byakuya-sama. You can count on me. I won't let Orochi get the best of us again!"

The ones in the room stiffened suddenly as a hell butterfly flew into the room and paused in front of Byakuya.

 _Byakuya,_ said the deep voice of the aged head Kuchiki elder, _it has reached us that you were found in the low Rukongai, living under an alias…and…working as a prostitute. As you will expect, we have many questions that need to be answered. You are called to appear before the council immediately. If you do not appear before us in twenty-four hours, we will consider it an act of defiance and have you apprehended. While we are relieved that you are, indeed, alive, we have grave concerns about your choices. We hope that we can bring this to a swift and fair conclusion._


	18. Just Desserts

**Chapter 18: Just Desserts**

 **(I'm happy to bring this back by request for Picklez80, ShariBerry89 and Winterheart2000!)**

"We all knew this was coming," Byakuya said quietly, his eyes meeting and fixing bracingly on Ichigo's.

"Byakuya's right," Kisuke agreed, "And now that we have what we need, I can prepare and have everything ready for Byakuya's surgery within a few hours."

"But he also needs time to recover and to regain his connection with Senbonzakura," Ichigo reminded him.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, nodding in agreement, "but I can reach the point of shikai without gaining a full connection. I will have longer to regain my bankai."

"And what are you worried for, anyway?" Kisuke chided the Shiba heir, "Yoruichi and I got you to bankai in three days. We've got a whole month to get Byakuya ready. But right now, our focus needs to be on getting some food into all of us so that we're prepared for whatever his nastiness, Orochi, has to bring. I say we stop worrying about all of that and get back to showing our appreciation for Magdelina-san's extremely delicious wedding gift to all of us."

"Oh, I am all for that!" Akira sighed, "I've already had seconds and I'm still starving!"

"I've never tasted anything so good!" Kisho exclaimed, trying his best to be polite as he devoured the meal in front of him.

He glanced over at Kiwa and made a sound of dismay as he noticed his sister was crying.

"Kiwa-chan!" he exclaimed, leaving his place to go to her and hug her tightly, "What's wrong?"

Byakuya joined the two, and knelt at his daughter's side, looking into her wet eyes with sympathy.

"You are not used to having enough," he said calmly, "I understand the mix of emotions you have, because I have felt them too. I too, have gotten up in the morning and felt that gnawing hunger that never seemed to go away. I could live without eating, but still, I hungered for food, for warmth…for safety. I will not tell you to stop crying, because I know that you are not just crying for yourself, are you?"

Kiwa sniffed and wiped her eyes, then gave him a tentative shake of her head, riling her black curls. Ichigo moved around the table to join them.

"I was happy," Kiwa whispered in a shaky voice, "because the food is hot and it tastes good. I was happy because I felt full and warm and safe, like Daddy Bya said. Then, I thought about my friends, my new friends that I was making at the school. We just started to make things better for all of us. And now, we went away, and we have all of this. But my friends are still back home. They're still hungry and cold and scared."

Byakuya curled his arms around Kiwa and hugged her against his shoulder.

"Kiwa," he said softly, "I am going to make you a promise. Right now, there is little I can do for the children that the school was going to serve, but when I have returned to my clan and won back my leadership, I promise that I will rebuild the school and I will make sure that it is staffed with people who can take care of the Inuzuri children and teach them to survive. I know it is little comfort now, because you know they are suffering. I would end that suffering now, if I could."

"I know," Kiwa managed in a choked voice as she hugged him back, "You're a good person, Daddy Bya. That's why I wanted you to be my daddy."

"You are a gentle child with a pure, loving heart, Kiwa," Byakuya answered, kissing her on the cheek, "That is why I wanted you to be my daughter."

"That's why I wanted you to be my sister," Kisho added, hugging the two.

Ichigo joined them, resting his chin on Kisho's head.

"That's why I wanted all of you…to be my family."

"A family reunion, eh?" Shiba Isshin's voice boomed from the doorway, where he stood alongside Ichigo's younger sisters, "Are we invited?"

"Ishi!" Kuri greeted him, smiling widely, "Come, we are celebrating."

Ichigo came to his feet and hugged his sisters and father.

"Dad, Karin, Yuzu, like you see, we've found Byakuya alive. And these two are Kisho and Kiwa, our son and daughter."

"Is what I heard right, then?" Isshin asked, smiling at the two children as Karin and Yuzu moved closer to introduce themselves, "You married Byakuya?"

"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed, "Dad, it was the right thing to do. Kisho is my son."

"And Kiwa's your daughter? Just how long ago did you find Byakuya?" Isshin asked, looking confused.

"Byakuya adopted Kiwa when her family died," Ichigo explained, "But, like I told you, Byakuya and I made Kisho. Byakuya was badly injured the night he disappeared, and he lost his memory. That's why he was in Inuzuri."

"But, you have your marbles back now?" Isshin asked Byakuya skeptically, "Are you sure?"

"Ichigo's arrival and our subsequent interactions have restored my memory," Byakuya explained.

"And were you in possession of your memory when you married the heir of another clan? You _know_ that isn't allowed."

"Of course he knows," Ichigo said, crossing his arms, "But Byakuya's not their leader right now, so there's no reason we couldn't be married."

"How about the fact that you _knew_ our council was trying to arrange a marriage for you?" Isshin demanded, "Ichigo, you said when you decided to be the heir, that you accepted there were some things you weren't going to like about it, but you agreed to…"

"I didn't break any rules," Ichigo insisted, "There wasn't a proposal on the table. If I wanted to choose a partner, I was free to do so."

"And you thought it would be a good idea for the heir of a formerly banished and freshly reinstated clan to run off and marry the scandalized former leader of the Kuchiki clan?"

"Scandalized?" Ichigo mused, "You mean, because he was thought to have committed suicide? Everybody's to know soon that Byakuya didn't try to commit suicide. He was attacked by his bastard cousin, Orochi!"

"That's fine, but that's not what I'm talking about. Son, it is all over the Seireitei that Byakuya was down in Inuzuri, living in a shack and having…"

He paused and lowered his voice so that the children wouldn't hear.

" Having sex with hundreds of men for money! That's not exactly the kind of person who our family elders are going to accept."

"Well, I don't care if they don't want to accept him," Ichigo said determinedly, "Byakuya is the person I love, and he is the bearer of my son. He was viciously attacked by Orochi, who is now doing anything he can to make Byakuya look bad!"

Isshin's eyes narrowed.

"Are you telling me that the accusations about his _occupation_ are not true?" he asked, frowning.

"What they are saying is true," Byakuya said solemnly, meeting Isshin's eyes squarely, "While not in possession of my memory and faced with possible death by exposure and starvation in the midst of winter, yes, I became desperate and I worked as a prostitute to save us."

"From the number of men listed in _Ondori's_ records, which Orochi seized after you left, "I would say that you worked off and on, year round."

"Dad," Ichigo said sternly.

"Ichigo, look, I get that things were bad down there. I get that Byakuya didn't know himself. But you know how the clans are about this."

"Fine," Ichigo said, stiffening, "then, the Shiba family can just take back my title. I don't care. If it means that people are going to look down on Byakuya and me, then I don't need to be heir."

"You agreed to be heir," Isshin insisted, "Ichigo, you know it's not so easy to just walk away!"

"Yeah, well if the clan won't accept Byakuya, then they won't have me!" Ichigo shouted, making the others at the table go suddenly silent.

He looked around the room, then at Byakuya, whose eyes were lowered and whose head was bowed in shame.

"Do any of the rest of you have anything against Byakuya?" he demanded, "Do you think less of him because of what they're saying about him?"

Kuri looked at the stunned faces of the others and shook his head firmly.

" _Primo_ ," Kuri said sternly, "I am married to Byakurai's cousin. He is family. We are not judging him."

"But a whole lot of people are," Isshin reminded him.

"Why are people judging Daddy Bya?" Kiwa asked, looking up at Ichigo, "He only tried to take care of people. He protected us from the hollows."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "Byakuya is a good person. Don't worry about what people say. I'm sure when the whole story is told, then they will understand."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Isshin.

"You don't think I'm just going to let people trash Byakuya," Ichigo argued

"Are you defending what he did?"

"No!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Byakuya's not even defending it. But I think we can explain it. And a lot of people will understand when they hear the whole story."

" _If_ they ever hear the whole story," Isshin said sternly, "Because I think that the first thing that Byakuya's clan is going to do when they see him tomorrow is going to be to give him an order of silence, keeping him from saying anything that has not been approved by the council. It's the way they work, son. They don't want any more public discussion than they have to bear. Byakuya may never get to tell his side publicly."

Ichigo's brow furrowed in thought for a moment.

"You know, maybe you're right," he said finally, "So, after Byakuya has received the surgery to repair the damage to his spirit centers, I'm going to give a public statement."

"You'll be asked about the information Orochi leaked," Isshin pondered.

"Yeah, and I'll make sure that everyone gets a clear picture of what Byakuya was dealing with. We'll still have a lot going against us, but…"

"But, making a public statement like that will sway some people, probably a lot of people," Isshin suggested, "I mean, when I first heard, I was damn shocked, then I admit, I was judging him pretty harshly, myself. I didn't mean to, but like I said before, our clan just got their status back after being banished for years. Still, to be honest, I can't say that I wouldn't do something like that if it was me and my family was starving and freezing to death. When people like us say that we would do anything for our family, we mean it."

He gave Byakuya an apologetic look.

"We're not so different that way," he said, smiling sadly, "So, welcome to the Shiba family, Byakuya."

"Thank you," Byakuya said softly, "And while you are here, may I ask your permission to assume my husband's surname, at least as long as mine has not been reinstated?"

"You want to use the Shiba name?" Isshin said doubtfully, "You know that's…"

"I would like permission to use the Kurosaki name," Byakuya corrected him.

Isshin stared at him wordlessly and Ichigo made a soft sound of surprise.

"I realize that it is a _quincy_ noble name, but as Ichigo and his sisters are the last blood relatives of that clan, Ichigo is certainly in a position to grant such a thing."

"So, if all of that's true, then why are you asking me?" Isshin inquired, furrowing his brow.

"I am asking you, out of respect for Ichigo's mother, who gave him that name."

Isshin went speechless for a moment, looking into Byakuya's tired eyes and shaking his head slowly.

"Then," he managed finally, "I'll give you the answer that my wife would give you, if she was here."

The room went silent with anticipation.

"You're a good person, who doesn't just _say_ he would do anything for his family, you've backed it up with your actions. Masaki would be proud to have someone like you wear her family's name."

"Again, I thank you," Byakuya said, extending a hand to Isshin, who studied it for a moment, then gently accepted it.

"You're welcome," Isshin answered, narrowing his eyes, "You be sure to do honor to Masaki's name."

Byakuya nodded.

"Of course," he agreed.

Isshin looked left, then right, then at the others at the table.

"So, now that the business stuff is done, let's get back to the party. Now, who all got married?" he asked, grinning.

"Byakuya and me, Tetsuya and Kuri, and Kisuke and Akira," Ichigo answered.

"Whoa! What?" Isshin mused, "First of all, I thought Tetsuya was the Kuchiki leader's concubine and second, since when is _Urahara Kisuke_ the marrying kind? Kisuke, I was sure you were all scale models, monitors and beakers. I didn't know you had a boyfriend!"

"Well, surprise," Kisuke chuckled, squeezing Akira's hand and kissing him on the cheek.

"Wait, hang on," Isshin said, frowning, "I thought that was…"

"Ondori?" Akira asked, arching an eyebrow, "Why, yes, I was Ondori. But, I am now Urahara Akira. Akira is my given name."

"So, you're the guy who found Byakuya, saved his life, then…erm…got him into all that trouble with his clan, huh?"

"What can we say?" Kisuke laughed, "He's so much like me, good at causing trouble."

"You're a natural fit," Isshin agreed.

He turned his attention to Tetsuya, who noticed him looking and pressed closer to Kuri.

"And you, Kuri, you sly dog. You know you're going to raise hell with the Kuchiki clan. Orochi's made it clear that Tetsuya is a fugitive, and that your clan will be held responsible for him escaping justice."

"Let them complain and threaten all they want," Magdelina said belligerently, "It is a matter of pride that my son rescued our _angelito_ from that vicious animal. If he wants our _angelito_ , he will have to fight all of us!"

"Daddy Ichigo," Kiwa whispered, tugging on Ichigo's sleeve, "what's a conu…a…um…concu…"

Ichigo blushed.

"W-well," he stammered, "it's kinda like a boyfriend, but Tetsuya never wanted to be Orochi's boyfriend. He's in love with Kuri and they're married now."

"And having a baby!" Kiwa added enthusiastically.

"Right," Ichigo chuckled, "So, we're not going to let Orochi take Tetsuya back. Byakuya's going to get his powers back. Then, he'll be the head of the Kuchiki clan again and he'll protect Tetsuya from Orochi."

"Are you going to kill him like he tried to kill you, Akira and Kisho?" Kiwa asked, looking at Byakuya through widened eyes.

"I am hoping that it will not come to that," Byakuya answered, "I am hoping that when Orochi sees that my powers are returning, he will back down and not fight my renaming as leader. You understand, Kiwa, that we should always try to resolve things peacefully, if it is possible."

"Uh-huh," Kiwa said, nodding, "My daddy before you told me that you can't reason with hollows, so we have to run away or kill them, but he always made me reason with my sister when we disagreed."

"Your father was very wise," Byakuya said appreciatively.

"Well, if we want to get Byakuya ready to reason with his family," Kisuke said, finishing off his drink, "we should get the baby carrying crew to the lab and start collecting those cells I need for Byakuya's surgery."

Tetsuya kissed Kuri on the cheek and squeezed his hand.

"Have them save some ice cream for me for when I get back," he requested.

Kuri nodded and returned his kiss with a more amorous one.

"I will ask _Mamà_ to make you some deep fried ice cream. How is that, Tetsu-hana?"

"That will be wonderful!"

"I guess I'm off too," Ichigo added, earning a curious look from Isshin.

"Ichigo?" his father inquired.

Ichigo shrugged.

"Byakuya needs to have surgery. Besides, I always kinda wondered what it was like for Mom. Now, I get to know."

Isshin let out an amused breath and shook his head.

"Kids…"

He waited until Ichigo had left and the others were busy eating their desserts, then took Byakuya aside.

"Is something wrong?" Byakuya asked.

"A lot of things are wrong about this," Isshin said solemnly, "Byakuya, I need you to make me a promise. Whatever happens…whatever that bastard cousin of yours tries, for Ichigo and for your kids, you have to win."

"I will," Byakuya said, looking back at Kisho and Kiwa as they laughed and talked around mouthfuls of sweet cake and ice cream, "I swear I will defeat him!"


	19. That Broken Place Inside

**Chapter 19: That Broken Place Inside**

Byakuya laid quietly on the examination table in Kisuke's cluttered laboratory, with Ichigo and Kisho at his side. The shopkeeper prepared a syringe, then leaned over the raven-haired man, smiling down at him encouragingly.

"Little pinch, now," he warned, then he pushed the needle into Byakuya's relaxed arm and taped the IV carefully in place, "You're just gonna get a little dizzy and go right to sleep. You might have some weird dreams, but everything's going to be fine. Trust me, I'm going to fix you right up, Byakuya-san."

"We're gonna be right here the whole time," Ichigo said as Byakuya felt the first swirls of dizziness, "Kisuke said we can stay."

Byakuya nodded wordlessly and felt the dizzy feeling bring a weakness over his body. His eyes slid shut and he slipped easily into sleep as Kisuke watched closely. The shopkeeper prepared another syringe and added a second compound to the IV.

"I'm giving him something to make sure he stays really relaxed. His defenses need to be completely down while I work on his spirit centers."

"What would happen if he got nervous?" Kisho asked.

"It could send flickers of reiatsu through the spirit centers while I'm in there," Kisuke explained, "I could get a nasty shock and it wouldn't be good for Byakuya-san's already damaged centers. So, we want to avoid that, if at all possible."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ichigo asked.

"Just hold his hand and let your physical touch keep him calm," the shopkeeper advised them, "I have to focus on one spirit center at a time, first preparing it, then laying the harvested cells from everyone to coat them. It'll be awhile."

The shopkeeper's hands moved to untie and open Byakuya's yukata, and he turned on a light above the examination table, then turned to press an array of buttons on a nearby computer. A visual grid appeared on Byakuya's resting body and Kiuske leaned over Byakuya again, carefully sensing the position of each spirit center and marking it. When the markings were made, he moved in closer, focusing on one and infusing it gently with a light protective coating. He layered the coating, pausing and watching between applications. When the coating was finished, he drew a measure of the harvested cells into a syringe and very cautiously made a number of injections into the first spirit center. He finished and waited for several minutes, then he sent a little flicker of reiatsu through the healed spirit center and smiled as it radiated with an answering flutter of Byakuya's reiatsu.

"Good," he murmured, "You're doing great, Byakuya-san. We'll just do that six more times and you'll be good to go."

He moved to the second spirit center, honing in on it closely before beginning the layering. Ichigo exchanged glances with Kisho, who sighed worriedly.

"You really think he'll be okay?" he asked anxiously.

"Yeah," Ichigo said calmly, squeezing his son's hand, "Despite us being separated for a long time, I know Byakuya very well. He only looks delicate on the outside. He's one of the toughest people I know. I've seen him take damage well beyond what would kill most people. Byakuya's a fighter. He doesn't give up, especially not when he feels the need to protect the ones he loves…the ones like you and your sister."

Kisho brushed a tear away from his eye.

"Dad," he said solemnly, "I want to be strong like him too. I want to protect him."

"Hey," Ichigo said bracingly, "you are already strong, Kisho. You have already protected Byakuya before. You keep training hard and believe in yourself. You've got some of Byakuya in you and you've got some of me in you too. You're going to be really powerful when you're grown up. And you'll protect everyone, just the way Byakuya and I do."

"It's strange thinking how things will be so different after this. Grandpa Isshin told me about the house you live in. I don't know if that's where we'll live or if we'll live at Kuchiki Manor that Tetsuya-san was telling me about. I've never been in places like those. I won't even know how to act."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said, ruffling his son's hair, "You'll do fine. We can go to my family's estate first, once Byakuya has gone to his family and announced his intention to fight for leadership."

"Does Daddy Bya really want to lead the Kuchiki clan anymore?" Kisho asked, looking down at Byakuya's calm sleeping face, "I know he thinks he has to, but will he really be happy if he does go back?"

Ichigo gave his son a look of approval.

"Kisho, you're a smart kid to notice all of that. And you're right that Byakuya has mixed feelings about going back. He's worried about getting his powers back and having to fight his cousin, not because he thinks he won't win, but because leadership is a huge job. It wasn't easy for him when he was their leader before."

"And now, people will look down on him because of what he did so we could survive," Kisho said sadly, "I wish he would have let me help."

"You did help Byakuya," Ichigo insisted, "You helped him every day. You did chores and were helpful around the house. You helped him fight off hollows. I know he appreciated all of your help getting the school up and running. Kisho, you don't have to ever feel bad. You made a huge difference. It isn't your fault and it wasn't Byakuya's fault that you still struggled and Byakuya had to do what he did."

"I kind of know that," the boy sighed, "I know it in my head, but it aches inside when I remember."

"It'll always kind of ache like that when you look back, but the good thing is how much you, Byakuya, your sister and I all have to look forward to. We're going to be a family, and that's the best thing of all."

XXXXXXXXXX

Do you feel something yet?" Tetsuya asked curiously, looking down at his slim belly, where Kuri leaned over it, rubbing gently with his hand and infusing the area with his reiatsu.

"Just the presence of the spirit chamber and the mixing reiatsu inside," Kuri said calmly, "We have to wait a little longer, Tetsu-hana. As they say, Rome was not built in a day and making babies takes time, eh?"

"You are doing so well, _angelito_!" Aderia said encouragingly, "Everything looks perfect. You will need to eat a lot."

" _Mamà_ will help you with that," Kuri chuckled, "She is back in the kitchen this morning already, making a mountain of food."

"You will need to eat more too, _burro_ ," Aderia scolded her brother, "You can hardly infuse our _angelito_ and keep his reiatsu stable if you are spending all of your time mooning after him and not eating properly."

As though in punctuation, the door to the bedroom opened and Magdelina entered the room alongside Rukia, both carrying heaping trays of food.

" _Buenos dias, mis hijos,_ " Kuri's mother greeted them, "I hope you brought your appetites. Rukia and I have made all of your favorites."

Tetsuya smiled widely as Magdelina set his tray in his lap.

" _Gracias_ , _Magdelina_ -san."

"You call me, _Mamà_ ," Magdelina invited him.

" _Gracias, Mamà_ ," Tetsuya said, blushing.

"That's a good boy," Magdelina laughed, kissing his cheek and making him blush more brightly, "Now, eat something. You carry our family's future inside you, _angelito_."

Tetsuya dug in eagerly, filling his mouth with warm tortillas and hearty, spiced meat, freshly made cheese and spicy salsa. Beside him, Kuri devoured a large serving of tamales and bites of spicy rice and beans.

"I think we should leave them to eat," Rukia chuckled, gazing at the happily eating couple, "They might mistake one of us for food!"

"Don't forget. We have fresh _paletas de hielo_ for dessert," Magdelina reminded them, "and deep fried ice cream."

"I don't think we'll be running out of room," Kuri snickered, "I know I am starving after all of the wedding and celebrating and baby-making!"

"Well, there is more where that came from."

Magdelina nodded to her daughter and Rukia.

"We should go and make sure all of the other couples are fed."

"Be sure to take good care of Ichibun," Kuri encouraged them, "I'm sure he's worried about Byakurai's surgery."

"I doubt we'll lure him away from his husband's side until the surgery is done," Magdelina said with an edge of worry, "but we will corner him and stuff him as soon as he and Kisho come out of the laboratory."

"I hope everything is going well," Tetsuya said, fear flickering in his blue eyes.

Kuri slipped an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Byakurai is strong. Even without his powers, he protected his Kisho and little Kiwa. The surgery will give him back his powers and he will give your evil cousin hell for what he did to Byakurai, to Ichibun, to you…to everyone. That man is an insult to the Kuchiki name. He is going to be put in his place."

A knock on the door made the ones in the room look up curiously. The door opened to admit the captain commander and a smiling Ukitake.

"We heard that there was some celebrating going on here," Shunsui said, smiling, "We wanted to come and see Byakuya for ourselves, and to congratulate the happy couples."

" _Gracias_ _ **,**_ " Kuri said gratefully, "Tetsu-hana and I are happy you could come."

"Be sure to stop by the kitchen and fill your bellies while you are here," Magdelina invited the two.

"We'll do that," Juushiro laughed softly, "Thank you, Magdelina."

"I imagine there are rumors going around about Byakurai's sudden return," Kuri oncluded.

"Yes," Juushiro agreed, "there are. We wanted to come in person to see how our missing friend is doing and to offer him whatever help he needs to settle back in."

"You came at a good time," Tetsuya said sincerely, "Byakuya-sama will be returning to the Kuchiki council hall tomorrow to speak to the elders and to announce his intent to fight Orochi for leadership."

"That's another reason Juushiro and I thought we should come."

"Rumors are flying around the Seireitei," Juushiro added, "We thought that we should figure out how much of what we've heard is true, and how we can diffuse the nastier rumors in preparation for your return."

"Well," Kuri said, "What is true is that we recovered Kuchiki Byakuya from Inuzuri. For many years, he was without his memory due to injuries he suffered after being attacked by his wicked cousin, Orochi."

"Byakuya-sama fell into the river and was carried into the low Rukongai, where he was rescued and healed by the Inuzuri doctor, Michio," Tetsuya added, "It was discovered while he was being treated, that Byakuya-sama was carrying Ichigo's child. He had the boy, Kisho, and raised him, despite the rigors of life in the low Rukongai."

"Yes," Shunsui said, "We heard exactly how hard things were."

"And what Byakuya was forced to do to just survive," Juushiro assured him.

"Juushiro and I are both from noble families who have, in the past, shared a positive relationship with the Kuchiki family."

"In addition, we are Gotei elite taichous," Juushiro pointed out, "Where Orochi attacks, we can counter."

"I figure if we spread more of the story, it will generate sympathy for Byakuya's situation. Orochi isn't popular with many, inside or outside the Kuchiki clan. He claimed leadership by intimidating anyone who might also have sought to ascend when Byakuya disappeared. With Juushiro and me giving our support to Byakuya, we can sway a lot of others to his side, especially if we remind them how volatile and intractable Orochi has proven to be. I think we can gain enough support to head off the worst that Orochi is trying to stir up."

"That would definitely work in my cousin's favor," Tetsuya said gratefully, "He still has a terrible battle ahead of him, but we have confidence that Urahara-san will be able to restore my cousin's powers, so he will be able to take Orochi down."

"Well," said Shunsui, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Kisuke has seen all of us through a lot of tight situations. If there's anyone who can help Byakuya regain his powers, that guy can."

"I am sure that snake, Orochi, will put up a vicious and underhanded fight," Kuri mused, "but our Byakurai will be more than a match for him."

"Byakuya-sama is not just a strong person, he is a master of using strategy to gain an advantage."

"He is working against a tide that Orochi has tried to raise against," said Juushiro, "Shunsui and I will do our best to level the playing field so it is at least a more fair fight. Up to now, there has been no one to speak up about Byakuya's situation. But we will make sure his side is heard."

"Thank you, Ukitake tiachou, Kyouraku soutaichou," Tetsuya said gratefully, "My cousin will very much appreciate your support."

"Byakuya is the rightful leader of the Kuchiki clan," Shunsui said firmly, "He is going to topple Orochi. No question."

"We believe he will too," Kuri agreed.

The group went suddenly silent as Kisuke entered the room with Ichigo and Kisho beside him.

"Byakuya-sama's surgery is finished?" Tetsuya asked urgently, "How is my cousin?"

Kisuke's smile was tired, but sincere.

"Byakuya came through the surgery just fine," he reported, "It took a lot of time, because everything had to be done with precision. Both the layering process and infusing his spirit centers with the cells we harvested went off without a hitch. I tested thoroughly after the procedure and there is measurable regrowth in the damaged areas. He is already radiating what were normal levels of reiatsu for him. He will have to bring his powers to full strength gradually, but he will definitely have something proper to show his relatives when he goes before the council."

"That's very good news," Shunsui said approvingly.

"I agree," Juushiro chimed in.

"I think our Byakurai is going to give Orochi a surprise as nasty as he is," Kuri chuckled, hugging his smiling husband.

"I'm so relieved," Tetsuya sighed, "Thank you, Urahara-san. I knew we could depend on you."

"Well, he's not completely out of the woods," the shopkeeper acknowledged, but if I know Byakuya-san, he's going to surprise us all with how resilient he can be. Tessai's watching over him while he's recovering. He's stable and doing extremely well. Even better than expected, so the rest of us need to rest, eat and make sure we're ready to give Byakuya-san all of the support he needs when he goes up against Orochi."

Shunsui made a sound of approval.

"Now that Juushiro and I have been brought up to date, we'll head back and start laying some groundwork. With a little effort, we should be able to create some resistance against the smear campaign that Orochi's got going."

The others bid farewell to the two taichous, then Ichigo turned to Kisuke and laid a hand on his arm, smiling gratefully.

"Kisuke," he said quietly, "thank you for everything. Byakuya wouldn't have any chance at all if not for you."

"I'm afraid I can't take all of the credit on this one," Kisuke chuckled, "I really owe it to everyone for all they did to give me what I needed to help Byakuya-san."

"I think everyone who helped with that is happy with the results," Ichigo laughed, patting his abdomen lightly, "Not only do we get Byakuya back, we're growing our families too. I've got Byakuya back. Tetsuya's got Kuri. And you…I can see how happy Akira makes you."

"Have to admit that he's pretty damned amazing," Kisuke laughed softly.

"Ooh," Akira said from where he had appeared in the doorway, "my ears are just burning. And that look on your face. Would you be talking about me?"

"That's right," Kisuke said, giving his husband a cocky grin, "I was just telling Ichigo how happy you are making me."

"I'm glad to see I'm doing well," Akira purred, "Now, what say you come and let me help you get some rest. We may have climbed out of the frying pan for now, but there's a very big fire burning underneath us. You need to rest or you risk getting roasted, love."

"Can't have that," Kisuke chuckled, moving to greet Akira and wrapping an arm around him.

Ichigo watched the two leave, then he patted Kisho on the shoulder.

"We need to be getting some sleep too," he said firmly.

"But Dad…"

"C'mon," Ichigo urged him, "Byakuya's recovering. He's doing well. But as soon as he wakes up, we're going to have a lot more to do. He's going to be getting ready and we'll need to also. Byakuya isn't the only one who needs to be at full strength when that battle takes place. We're all in danger until he is reinstated as the Kuchiki family leader. So, we'll be training too. When that battle happens, we all want to be ready."

"We will be," Kisho said with determination, "I will be. We won't let him win!"

"That's right," Ichigo agreed, hugging his son tightly, "No one messes with our family and gets away with it. Kuchiki Orochi is going to get exactly what he deserves!"


End file.
